And so their paths continue to change
by OregairuLamp
Summary: A story diverging from Vol 10 in the light novels. Starting right after the shrine visit, consider this my version of ANOTHER(with more changes). As for the plot, basically there's going to be a new member in the Service Club.
1. Prologue

Change.

An idea society willing accepts. To quote George Berhard Shaw, "Progess is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything"

But, is that really true?

If you look at it another way, does all change bring about progress?

The answer is definitely no. I mean, look, when big companies decide, "Hey, you know what'll get us more customers? Changing the logo!", could you call that progress?

No, it's just a nuisance since I end up taking ten minutes looking for that damn shampoo Komachi asked me to get.

But it's not just companies that believe in this misguided logic, you also have naive middle schoolers. The kind that think once they finally graduate, they can start high school with an image change only to get hit by a car on the first day on their way to school.

Wait, is that only me?

Well, hopefully...

If that happened to other people, I might actually feel kinda sorry for them.

On the other hand, when they come back from the hospital and realize that all the riajuus and commoners have already formed connections, they have an excuse for why they still ended up being a loner. Rather than being ostracized for being creepy, they could console themselves on the fact that it couldn't be helped. "They already formed connections so there's no way an outlier like me could just sneak in there. It can't be helped". Not even Stealth Hikki is strong enough for that.

That's why it's not my fault! It was not me who was wrong. It was the WORLD!

Ah, I feel like eating some Pizza Hut now...

Hm? I think I lost track of what I was thinking about...

...

Oh yeah, change...

That's right.

The very reason I'm in this club.

The reason why I suffer daily from ice cold verbal abuse and an energetic pink-haired monster.

No, not the Energizer bunny...not even that can top Yuigahama...

Not to mention the newly added slave labor from a certain sly Student Council President.

Just who was the irresponsible fool that let her take that position ?!

But even if the world around me changes, I will not bow! I will not break! I will shut the world away!

Still...

I find myself nowadays hesitating from doing things I would usually do without a second thought, like underhanded methods, instead pondering on a different solution.

I wonder if this is change...

Is this because of those two? That day is still lingers in my mind, continuing to bother me.

...

Damn it! I still can't think about it without all the blood rushing to my face.

Of all the times I've laid my heart bare, that is the only moment I can't regret. While, it went nothing like I expected, neither of them avoided me in that moment.

No look of digust. No look of pity. No heartless laughter. No post-confession gossips.

Just the same desire I had.

To understand.

Maybe change isn't so bad...


	2. Enter Player 4 (Part 1)

As I sipped on the hot black tea, I felt the familiar comfort I found only in this room. Coming back from Christmas and New Years break, I have to admit that I missed this place.

Only a little though.

Suddenly, a thought flashed by. Or should I say a fox dashed by.

"Yuigahama, you know where Isshiki is?"

"Hm?"

Surprised at my sudden question, Yuigahama curiously turned her head in my direction.

"I was wondering why it still felt peaceful, so it was from Isshiki-san's absence.."

However, before Yuigahama could answer, Yukinoshita muttered to herself.

"Ah! Iroha-chan texted me earlier saying she was going to be busy with student council stuff today so she wouldn't be coming today."

"Hold on, why does it sound like she's a member of this club.."

"It does seem that way, doesn't it..."

""Ha...""

"Ahaha..."

Yuigahama awkwardly laughed while Yukinoshita and I sighed as we realized how quickly Isshiki managed to infiltrate this club. What is she, some sort of spy for the titans? You trying to break Wall Rose or something? Let all the titans in?

I won't let you! We got our own Ice Wall here!

Oh shit... Yuigahama, you're melting her...

On this day, I received a grim reminder.

As I indulged in more pointless thoughts, the door slid open with a loud thud.

Barging without a care was Hiratsuka-sensei who immediately began talking.

"Yo, everyone!"

"Ah! Hiratsuka-sensei! Yahallo!"

"Hah...Sensei, please knock..."

Yukinoshita made a slight twitch from surprise and scolded Sensei while Yuigahama casually greeted her.

"Yea, I thought for a second you were Isshiki and started to fear for my life."

"That's why you agreed with her?!"

"Hahaha, well I'm glad you guys are doing well now."

A sentence that managed to cause the three of our faces to redden a bit.

"So, why are you here?"

Getting straight to the point, I asked Sensei what she wanted.

"Hey, is that any way to treat this club's advisor..."

"You barely show up here, you can't use that as an excuse."

"Compared to someone who shows up everyday yet barely gives off a presence, she's doing better than you, no?"

Yukinoshita quickly seized the opportunity and gave me a teasing smile which quickly turned into a slight frown. She put her hand on a chin, as if she was thinking and said,

"..Umm, sorry, what was your name again?" while curiously tilting her head to the side.

Hey, could you not? That kinda hurts more than your usual abuse. Besides, you already gave me a cup of tea, don't pretend you didn't notice me here.

I sent her a grumpy look communicating just that only for her to send back a teasing smile.

"Hmm, Hikigaya, are you saying you want me to come over to the club more often?"

Hiratsuka-sensei suddenly interjected with a slightly teasing tone.

"Nope, it's fine, I understand you have other things to do like attending marriage hunting parties since you're still single."

A single gaze(Heh). That's all it took and my body uncontrollably knew.

Hmm, what's this I'm feeling? For some reason, I feel like my imminent doom is approaching. Sensei, you wouldn't actually kill me right?

"Ha.."

As she sighed, Hiratsuka-sensei's overpowering death aura quickly dissipated.

"You almost made me forget why I came here...Hey, you, get in here already."

Looking at the doors, she called out to whoever was there.

Quietly walking in was a male student I've never seen before. Of course, not that I know many guys. Totsuka's the only one that matters anyway.

Probably around my height, he had short black hair which looks like it was combed down then blown back by the wind giving an odd combination of neat yet messy. Aside from his hair, everything else about him seemed normal.

He wore the uniform to school regulations and adopted a good posture with his back straightened. His looks weren't all that bad in my opinion though he wasn't exactly anything close to Hayama's level. Looking at his face, I couldn't read anything from his facial expression since his thin glasses reflected the orange sun on my eyes prompting me to look away.

He was standard definition of a normie. Average in many things with a few quirks to give the appearance that he was special. Just like everyone else.

Though for some reason I felt something odd about him.

"About time you came in, why were you just waiting there?"

Hiratsuka-sensei asked the student who then responded,

"I thought it would be rude to just enter the room without being invited in."

What are you, a vampire?

"Ara, it looks like someone here has some manners..."

Yukinoshita obviously found this pleasing and took a slight jab at Sensei.

"Ghh. Ahem, well, that's right. Good job, I was just testing you."

Oy, Sensei, anyone can see that's just a straight up lie. Except maybe Yuigahama.

Speaking of which, she seemed to be excited for a new request since she asked,

"Ah, are you here for a request?"

"That's right"

Surprisingly, the one who answered that was Sensei. Yuigahama looked a little taken aback from that but Sensei continued talking.

"You see, I just had a talk with this boy here and I decided on something."

Oh boy, this seems familiar...

I don't think I like where this is going.

"You guys, meet your new club member!"

...

...

...

...


	3. Enter Player 4 (Part 2)

"Come again?"

"Eh?"

...

Yukinoshita and Yuigahama both looked like they were just slapped in the face. I couldn't blame them. Had I not realized it shortly after Sensei responded to Yuigahama, I would probably be saying, "Huh, whaaat, that like doesn't even make any sense, you know?".

I mean we already have four members... wait, Isshiki's not actually a member. Holy Cow! Just how sly is this girl?!

Although if it was Totsuka, I would wholeheartedly accept.

Well...

I could understand why they were so shocked. Just as I value this club, they also held it dearly. While we had nothing against this guy, with Isshiki constantly showing up, it felt like our time alone together was gradually diminishing.

If someone else joined as an actual member, I don't how it would affect us anymore.

Could we continue to interact like this or would this break us apart?

No, I doubt that would happen.

I turned my head to look at him only to see him look just as dumbstruck as the other two.

So you're getting dropped off here blindly too huh?

"Um, Hiratsuka-sensei, I don't remember anything about joining a club when we talked. In fact, I don't remember anything at all"

He finally spoke up after collecting his thoughts and faced Sensei.

"Oooh, is that so?"

Hiratsuka responded as she began cracking her knuckles.

Sweatdrops began forming on his head.

"Well, who said I needed your permission to put you into this club?"

Stunned yet again, there was an obscure look on his face.

"If I may interrupt, could you tell us exactly what your request is Sensei? I would like to know why you deemed it necessary for him to join the club? Surely, there are other ways to solve it"

Yukinoshita seemed to have collected herself as well and questioned Sensei.

"Well, this is my request: I want the club to help this boy here. I thought the best way to do that would be to have him join"

Simply put, Hiratsuka-sensei's words carried a resolute force behind it.

Unfortunately, what she said wasn't enough for me.

So I decided to dig a little deeper.

"What exactly does he need help with?"

In my eyes, I could see nothing glaringly wrong about him. Other that those glasses, why are the lenses so shiny?

"I'll let you guys figure that out"

Hiratsuka-sensei responded without hesitation as if she knew I would ask that, then turned to the door and began walking away.

As she neared the doorway, she left with one brief comment:

"I'm counting on you guys"

Just before she was out of sight, her face, hiding a mysterious sadness, slightly turned in my direction, her eyes locking onto mine, only to disappear immediately after.

But in that brief instance, I saw a look that definitely doesn't fit on Hiratsuka-sensei's face.

A somber smile.

I don't know what exactly that meant but surely, there's more going on here than what she said.

When she made her request, there was a shift in her demeanor. Though her tone wasn't serious, her eyes showed this wasn't a haphazard decision.

I have no doubt she realizes the importance of this club to us.

So for her to resort to this...

* * *

Forgetting to close the door, the student who was still standing went over and closed it.

"Phew.."

He made a small sigh barely audible in the club room surrounded in silence.

"Ah..hmm...Well, why don't you take a seat?"

Yuigahama broke the silence and motioned him to sit on the seat in front of me to the left.

He made a small nod and calmly sat down.

"Well then, I believe introductions would be in order. My name is Yukinoshita Yukino, class 2-J and to my right is Yuigahama Yui, class 2-F. Welcome to the club."

Probably from her responsibility as president, Yukinoshita regained her composure and performed her duties.

Though nothing she said was out of the ordinary, I could see she was still thinking.

Her words lacked the coldness and pride it normally carried. It was obviously nothing compared to when we first met, but that was to be expected.

Yuigahama's been slowly thawing her so you couldn't expect Yukinoshita to release absolute zero on a regular basis.

Wait, isn't she forgetting someone?

"Nm, nice to meet you. My name is..."

"Yukinon! You forgot Hikki!"

As he was speaking, Yuigahama leaned over to Yukinoshita and whispered loudly at her.

"Ah, my apologies, the one with rotten eyes over there is Hiki...Hiki...Hiki-nani? Ah, Hikitani-kun"

Grr...

"Yukipedia-san, could you not forget my name?"

She made a surprised face, put her hand over her mouth and said,

"I was wrong?"

Tch.

"Forgive the interruption. As you can see, that man over there is rather uncooperative. Please continue"

How rude! Expecting him to be annoyed, I peeked over at him and saw him instead perplexed. That's a given, I guess. First, he gets to talk to Hiratsuka-sensei then gets dragged here without knowing why. And now, two beatiful girls were talking to him: one was bright with a large chest, the other was bright with a small chest.

On the other hand, Yuigahama wasn't very bright, nor was Yukinoshita very bright either(Heh).

If this was some sort of love comedy, I'm sure this would be the start of the springtime of his youth. Unfortunately since I was here, that probably wouldn't happen. My presence would probably ruin the atomsphere, especially if it got even a little bit romantic.

Not because I was j-jealous of course! I just hate couples in general.

Oh, now that I think about it, this is the first time I could look at him without his glasses blinding me. I could see now that he had two black eyes.

No, not from Hiratsuka-sensei! His eyes weren't bruised.

I meant his irises were black. That or very dark brown.

"Hmm? It's fine, you guys seem rather interesting. My name is Reishiki Rei, class 2-C. Please take care of me[Yoroshiku]"

He spoke in a nonchalant fashion and made a slight bow towards the two.

As expected, I haven't heard of this guy before. Reishiki Rei...

What's this, is it just me or do a lot of people around me have very similar names between their first and last? Is there some sort of conspiracy going on? What is the N.H.K. up to now? Where's my angelic short haired loli?

Hm, on second thought, I already have Komachi, I don't need a loli.

Nothing can surpass Komachi!

Or Totsuka, for the matter!

Unexpectedly, he turned and spoke to me,

"I'll also be in your care, Hikitani-san"

He again made a slight bow, this time in my direction, which only served to piss me off more. At least, use my name!

...the name you didn't get...

"Haa...ok, my name's not Hikitani. I'm Hikigaya Hachiman, class 2-F. Also, don't expect to be able to rely on me"

I set the record straight and let him realize his mistake.

"Oh, sorry...Hikigaya-san"

I responded with a grunt and let the other two talk to him.

"I feel I should have asked this earlier but what exactly is this club? It sounds like you guys take requests..."

After he spoke, Yukinoshita smiled. Probably from nostalgia, she continued by saying what she said to me,

"Why don't you take a guess?"

Hey, how come you're not looking at him like trash when you're taking to him?

Reishiki thought for a moment and gave his answer,

"Hm...Handyman Training Club?"

"Well...I can't say that's really wrong, but that's off the mark, so to speak. This is the Service Club. Our goal is to provide people the means to grow and help themselves. In essence, we teach a man to fish rather than giving it to him"

Yukinoshita responded and used the same comparison she usually gave.

"I see, well, in that case, what do we do when there are no requests?"

A natural question, yet for some reason none of us could really answer it. Just what do we do here?

How could you explain the time we spend in this room gradually being submerged in an orange hue? Yuigahama is usually talking to Yukinoshita who's reading her book while I occassionally butt in causing Yukinoshita to start her chain of verbal harassment.

That's not really something we can just say like that, is it?

Fortunately, Yuigahama was an expert in high school communications.

"Well, for the most part, we just hang out here. Yukinon and Hikki are usually reading their books while I talk to Yukinon...But it's not like we ignore Hikki or anything! He usually becomes creepy when he starts talking so..."

Yuigahama added that unnecessary statement at the end with her face blushing slightly.

"Oi, could you guys stop badmouthing me already?"

Just after I said that, I heard a quiet laughter to my left. It was soft, yet one way or another you could feel the joy in it. When he stopped, Reishiki followed it up saying,

"Sorry, you guys really are interesting. I don't think I've seen many friendships like this"

None of us spoke after that.

Friendship?

Is this what this is?

None of us have clearly explained our relationships to each other, after all. In the past, I had asked Yukinoshita if she wanted to be friends but I was rejected not once, but twice. Though the second time, after knowing each other, it felt much less like a rejection.

I wonder...

If I asked again...

How would she respond?

As for Yuigahama, our relationship began very twisted. Because she knew I saved her dog, there was a difference in our perceptions of one another. While all I saw was a slutty bitch, she was holding me in a favorable light.

In her eyes, I was a savior. That's why that happened.

I destroyed whatever it was we shared.

I had to.

There's no way, back then, that what we shared was friendship.

In that case, what about now?

Since we "restarted", could we call it that? I feel like there's something she's still hiding. That night after the summer festival, she was interrupted. Whether it was good or bad, I don't know but...

Even still, could you call this friendship?


	4. Enter Player 4 (Part 3)

Noticing the strained looks on our faces and sensing the change in atmosphere, Reishiki tried to mend them,

"Uh, we-well...the weather sure is warming up now, isn't it?"

...

Terrible...

It's not even close to warm. When I got up this morning, I only woke up because the freezing water on my face forced my brain to enter flight or fight mode.

But, Yuigahama took the bait,

"Un, it's still pretty cold though, not to mention there's the marathon coming up soon"

"That's true, isn't it?"

Yukinoshita responded and made a brief sigh. Well, considering her stamina, this event wasn't going to be fun for her. Hell, I ride my bike to school everyday and I don't want to do this. I'll just do what I did last year and blend in with the slow group most of the way then run up to the middle pack near the end.

For the most part, after that, it was rather uneventful. Yukinoshita gave Reishiki some tea in a paper cup. Afterwards, he and Yuigahama made small talk while Yukinoshita switched between reading her book and responding to Yuigahama. I joined in a few times but I was mainly pretending to read my book while listening to Reishiki talk.

I don't think the other two forgot, but he wasn't just a new member. Hiratsuka-sensei made a request to us. The meaning behind that look is still a mystery but what I do know is that I don't want to see it again.

Speaking of mysteries, just who is this guy?

Reishiki Rei, apparently, was good in most subjects but weak in Japanese. To compensate, his strong suit was math. While he wasn't overly energetic, he was able to interact with those two without too much trouble. Although-

"So give us your phone number! I remember going through a lot of trouble looking for Hikki when he didn't show up one day!"

Scrambling my thoughts, I heard what Yuigahama just said.

What? His number already?! Hmph, well, if it's for club reasons then it's ok.

Wait, who gave me the right to decide who you give your phone number to?

"..Ah, that makes sense, I guess, then..."

He looked slightly surprised then slid his hand into his right pocket and pulled out nothing.

Confused, he looked down his hand and tapped his right thigh.

"Um, I guess it's in my bag..."

He followed it up with that, but I don't think anybody needed him to say that. It was pretty obvious from what you just did.

"Speaking of which, where is your bag? I didn't see it when you came in"

Yukinoshita posed the question. Now that I think about it, I don't remember seeing it either. Then again, I was too distracted getting blinded by his glasses to really notice.

"It's probably in the teacher's lounge with Hiratsuka-sensei. I'll pick it up later"

He didn't sound very sure from his statement. Is he a klutz or something? That's probably why he could talk to Yuigahama so easily.

"Well, it is getting late now, why don't we call it a day?"

Yukinoshita, looking at the clock and closing her book, announced the end of our club activities and began cleaning up the table, elegantly as usual.

When everything was cleaned up, the four of us were standing outside of the clubroom by the doorway.

"I guess I'll start heading to the teacher's lounge, I'll see you guys later"

Reishiki gave us his goodbyes and began to head down the hallway, but Yukinoshita stopped him,

"Wait, I'm heading there as well to return the room key. I'll accompany you there"

"..Alright"

"Yuigahama-san, Hikigaya-kun. I'll see you two by the entrance"

Yukinoshita turned to us and spoke. Yuigahama gave her an energetic "Okay!" while I responded with my trademark grunt.

As Yuigahama and I were walking, I wondered why she didn't just give him the key instead, but I realized that wasn't very Yukinoshita-like. She wasn't the type to give other people orders like that. She was the one who picked it up, so it was her responsiblity to bring it back.

That was the sort of righteousness that belonged only to Yukinoshita Yukino.

Also considering, it would be pretty rude to have the new club member doing errands for you on the first day.

There's also the possibility that she was thinking about the request and that an opportunity to speak with him alone would be beneficial.

Hm...

I'm thinking quite a bit about this, aren't I?

"Neh, Hikki, what do you think about Reicchi, so far?"

Yuigahama's voice echoed across the empty hallway. While her voice was clear, something caused me to think. I thought I heard a hint of confusion in her voice.

Hold up, Reicchi?

Seriously?! You really are terrible with nicknames!

"I can't really see anything wrong with him right now. It's making me even more curious why Hiratsuka-sensei brought him to us"

I responded honestly. I omitted the part where Hiratsuka-sensei gave me that look but I felt like revealing that right now wouldn't really help.

"That's what I was thinking too. This is kinda frustrating"

Yuigahama furrowed her brows and pulled on her backpack's straps . Well, I guess that's just who she is. Yuigahama Yui was a nice girl who cared so much about others that she would agonize over someone she just met.

From behind me, I heard some light footsteps approaching and turned around.

Alone was Yukinoshita who looked like she hurried over so we wouldn't be waiting too long.

Normally, nothing would be wrong with this, but today, we were missing somebody.

Yukinoshita clearly anticipated this and spoke without either of us asking,

"Hello...Reishiki-san looked in the teacher's lounge but he was unable to find his bag...He said he'll check his classroom and told us...to go on ahead since he had to be home by a certain time...every other day"

During that, she was breathing kind of heavily but the message was clear. Those two appeared to be wondering if we should still wait but I understood what Reishiki meant.

He probably didn't want to overstep his boundaries. From what I've seen, he seemed capable dealing with social situations. Even if you were getting along with someone pretty well, you couldn't just suddenly go to their house the same day. With his normie senses, that much was obvious to him.

Losing his bag probably served as a good excuse to side step this dilemma.

"Not much we can do then, I guess. Let's go?"

I took a step forward and called out to them from behind.

"Eh? I guess we don't have much of a choice. We'll see him tomorrow anyway"

"That's true. Alright, let's go"

Yuigahama agreeing with me caused Yukinoshita to make up her mind and led the way.

As we walked home, I took in the landscape.

The sun's orange glow was beginning to fade. A sign that the day and its usual activities would soon be finished. Soon, the moon would slowly take over until the sun was ready to return again.

But even in that transition, one thing continued to work.

That is to say, the wind.

Constantly blowing this time of year, the cold wind continued to persist as it moved through the world.

And just like that, I continued to ponder.

After all, how else would I find something genuine?

* * *

 _End Note: I made a mistake with the date of Yukinoshita's birthday. So for the sake of this story, I'll make it a few days later from the source material so it can fit in with the rest of the events. With that said, the shopping date with Yuigahama did not happen yet._

 _The summary has also been changed to give a better idea of where I'm actually starting and the direction I'm aiming from.  
_

 _Finally, thanks for the reviews. To answer all current and future questions: No comment(Heh)._


	5. Meetings and Seatings (Part 1)

Arriving at home, I closed the door behind me.

Komachi, who looked dead tired, was currently sitting in the living room hunched over studying. While I was disappointed that my cute little sister didn't run over to greet me like usual, I understood her circumstances. With those exams to prepare for, I'd be more surprised if she wasn't even slightly fatigued.

I'll let it slide today, okay?

I sound like some corporate boss right now.

Hey, Kamakura, I'll need a full report on the status of the house by tomorrow, okay? If you do well enough, I'll give you a bonus.

Heh, he wasn't going to get anything...

Man, I could totally be a corporate boss...

Oh no!

I almost started to imagine working.

That was dangerous. At that rate, I was going to end up like Dad. And like him, I would have been stuck as corporate slave rather than a boss.

After removing my shoes, I walked over to Komachi.

Woah, she really looks drained. Her eyes were starting to look like mine. Scary...

I sat down on the left side of the couch and made my presence known,

"Yo, I'm home"

She slowly turned to look at me, her eyes missing the sparkle they usually held, and eventually responded,

"...Ah...Onii-chan...welcome home..."

I was hoping to could bring some life back into her but her reaction was just as lethargic as her voice.

Scary...

This is just too scary...

Komachi, at this rate, you're going to end up like me.

I won't let it happen!

Luckily today, I had a secret weapon. It wasn't good enough to be called something like going Super Saiyan, though I guess it could be something like a Kaioken. It wasn't going to last long, but I could make use of it for a short time.

"Hey, Komachi, something interesting happened at club today..."

As if she just ate a Senzu bean, her body immediately straightened and slid up right next to me. Her eyes regained their shine and directly facing me was her face full of curiosity and excitement,

"Ohhhh, for Onii-chan to mention something like this on his own... It must be something big! So? Which one was it? Who confessed first? Did you guys kiss? Am I finally going to have an Onee-chan? Kuuuh, Onii-chan, Komachi is so proud of you!"

Releasing all her pent-up energy, evident from her voice, she spewed out a barrage of ridiculous questions. I had a feeling it was going to be like this, so I felt kinda bad now. Especially after that last part.

"Uh, nobody confessed to anybody. What are you even saying? Although you're right, it was something big"

"Idiot! Don't get me all riled up like that!"

Her expression switched from excited to annoyed, yet both were equally as cute.

"Hey, you're the one who assumed things"

I thought I heard her whisper under her breath, "Tch, gomii-chan...", but I'll pretend I didn't hear it.

Her eyes seemed to lose some of the shine it just obtained, but nonetheless, it seems she was still interested,

"Haa...So? What happened today?"

Her voice changed again, this time, sounding like a counselor talking to her patient.

"Well, we just got a new member in the club"

"Huh, I guess that is pretty big. The important question though is, are they a boy or a girl?"

There must be something wrong with her priorities or she just turned into Professor Oak but seeing that she was still cute, I asked,

"Huh? Why was that important? Aren't you wondering why they joined in the first place?"

"Nope. Answer the question, Onii-chan. This could be a big problem depending what you say"

With an immediate response and a demand for a reply, I complied,

"It's a boy"

In that moment, her eyes lost all light.

She began chanting in a hushed voice, "Bad...bad...this is seriously bad...", repeating herself over and over again like a broken recorder.

After the third time, I asked,

"Um, Komachi, are you okay? Your Onii-chan's starting to get worried"

Suddenly, her eyes were rekindled, this time burning with the flames of rage. Contrary to her eyes, her voice was eerily monotone,

"Ha? You're worried? About...me?"

I feel it...the calm before the storm...

"I'm the one that needs to be worried! What am I going to do about you, gomii-chan?! Ahhh, I should have pushed harder! Now Onii-chan's going to end up all alone. It's all my fault!"

About halfway through, she began angrily scratching her head with both hands.

"Hold on, Komachi, calm down"

"How can I calm down?! There's no way you can win against some other guy with your stats! They'd have to be just as bad or worse than you!"

Ah, Komachi, that hurts. I mean, it's not like I don't realize that but still...hearing it from your own sister hurts even more.

Making a sigh of defeat, she asked one last question coated in desperation,

"I guess, I'll ask just in case, what kind of person is this new member?"

Thinking about it, I realized all I knew about him was generic stuff all people know could easily know. His grades, favorite color, favorite food, favorite season...nothing especially original either: decent grades, blue, curry, fall.

What does the scouter say about his normie level?

It's over 80,000!...I'm sorry.

"I guess to sum it up in one word: Normie"

"Huh? Wait, you just might have a chance, Onii-chan! If he's that generic, then those two won't even pay attention to him!"

"Hey, you just said something really terrible, you know?"

As if she didn't hear me she continued,

"It's alright, Onii-chan! I believe in you! It's okay even if you don't believe in yourself! Just believe in the me that believes in you! Ah, that just now was really high in Komachi points!"

Back to her usual self, I could finally relax. That aside, when did you start watching mecha? You're not going to start calling me Aniki now, are you?

Guess it's time to leave.

"Idiot. It looks like you're back to normal. Don't study too hard, okay? It might end up doing more harm that good, so be careful"

Satisfied with myself, I got up and headed to my room. From behind me, I heard Komachi whispering, "I don't want to hear that from someone who doesn't do anything...huh? Back to normal? Onii-chan...how sly", followed by a softer voice, "Thanks..."

Yet oddly enough, I seemed to hear that one loud and clear.


	6. Meetings and Seatings (Part 2)

Having just finished math class, I let my head drop on my desk.

Ughh...today's going pretty badly already...

Thinking back this morning, Komachi woke up late so she wasn't able to make me breakfast. Since she was going late, that automatically meant the same for me. In fear of receiving a burning fist to the gut, I rushed out on my bike so not to be late. By some chance, I actually ended up arriving just before the bell rang, though without breakfast, I wound up using all the energy in my body.

Fortunately, I knew just the thing to refill my empty tank. Just as I was about to get up to buy it, I overheard chatter behind me.

Loud enough for the whole room to hear, Tobe asked,

"So, what are you guys picking, humanities or the sciences? I totally have no idea what to do!"

Yuigahama decided to respond,

"Hmm, I'm probably going with humanities, I can't really see myself being in the sciences. It just sounds really boring, like, there's not a lot of girls there and most of the guys are pretty quiet. Also, I'm pretty bad with math and science subjects. I mean, what the heck do rollers have to do with derivatives"

Just where is Yukinoshita when you need her? I could see her lecturing Yuigahama on this, "Yuigahama-san, it's Rolle's Theorem. A theorem to prove that when you have two different points with the same x-value on a differentiable function, there exists a point where the derivative must equal zero. It is named after Michel Rolle, although..."

On second thought, let's stop there.

"I'm going with the humanities too"

Ebina joined in causing Miura, who's been oddly silent, to finally talk,

"Oh...I see. You guys seem pretty sure already. Then, what about Hayato?"

"Yeah, yeah, what are you doing Hayato, dude?"

Shut up, Tobe.

With all the attention pointed at him, Hayama flawlessly deflected the question,

"Well, this choice will pretty much determine your future so you need to think properly about it. That's why you can't just choose your path depending on what we pick, Tobe"

Though he was looking at Tobe, it was obvious his words were directed at someone else. Well, as expected of Hayama, he truly is the master of social interactions.

It seemed like Miura was about to say something else but just before she did, Hiratsuka-sensei walked in.

"Alright everyone, let's start class"

Damn, I forgot to get my MAX Coffee...

* * *

As I was about to head to my usual lunch spot, I was stopped by a single teacher, Hiratsuka-sensei, who had me follow her to the teacher's lounge. As she was sitting down on her chair, she asked,

"So, Hikigaya, how's my request going?"

Nothing she said or did showed any sort of concern, yet for some reason, I felt something. Again, her face from yesterday popped up in my mind. I contemplated what I should say but she took my silence as an answer.

"Can't figure out, huh? Well, keep thinking"

She said it so casually, I ended up following her example,

"You can't expect me to find a solution without knowing the problem. I'm gonna need at least a hint, you know?"

Her face quickly lost all evidence of enthusiasm and as she sighed, her body slouched forward. I could almost hear her saying, "What am I going to do with a kid like you?".

Oh wait, she did.

"Don't think you can snag hints from me that easily, Hikigaya"

She stood up and pulled out the superman pose while making her declaration with a wide grin on her face.

There, that fits you a lot better.

I guess this means, it's fine for me to tease her now.

"What a cheapskate, maybe that's why you're still sin-"

"BURNING FIST!"

"Gueh!"

I asked for that one...

She began scratching her head with an annoyed look on her face,

"Ha...you really are uncute. Just what is up with kids your age?"

That last part kinda grabbed my attention but before I was able to ask her about it, she shooed me away as she was sitting back down,

"Alright, that's all I wanted to ask you. Thanks, now get out of here. I got stuff to do. Go eat your lunch with those two or something"

She sighed again and while turning the chair toward her desk, mumbled, "Just when am I getting married..."

Someone, please take her already...

* * *

The school day was finally over and I was back at my usual spot in the clubroom. Yuigahama just arrived a couple minutes ago and Yukinoshita began preparing the tea.

The peaceful atmosphere we so missed was gently disturbed as I saw the door silently open and close. Had his glasses not shined in my eyes, I wouldn't even have noticed him.

Reishiki walked in and sat in the seat in front of me, without a single footstep being heard. His hair looks a lot less wild compared to yesterday, even though it was just as windy today as yesterday. Everything else about him was just about the same, although today, he actually brought his bag. In other words, he looked even more of a normie than before.

Seemingly aware of the tranquility, he calmly greeted us to which we gave our respective greetings. Afterwards, pulling some books out of his bag, he started doing homework.

That's not what I expected from a normie like him. I was thinking more along the lines of pulling out a Vita-chan and playing fighter games or something. After a while, curiosity got the better of me and I questioned him,

"You doing homework?"

He looked at me, tilting his head slightly to the right,

"Isn't obvious?"

Hey, didn't anyone tell you not to answer questions with questions. Just who taught you proper etiquette?

Realizing what I actually meant, he continued,

"I'd rather do stuff like this at school than at home...I find I can focus better here"

A simple statement, yet there was something about what he said that bothered me. While I might be overthinking this, the way he said it makes it sound like there's something going on at his house. Thinking back to yesterday, Yukinoshita also said that he had to go home early every other day. Assuming that wasn't a lie, could the request be something about this? Judging whether I should ask about it, I continued thinking.

Unfortunately, the sound of the door opening broke my train of thought as the intruder boldly walked in clapping her hands once,

"Good work, everyone! Ah, Senpai, can I a-"

As Isshiki made her entrance, she stopped in her tracks when she saw an unfamiliar person sitting at her usual spot. Everyone stared at her as she was frozen in place, the only thing changing were her facial expressions. Even though her face clearly showed irritation a second ago, she put on her fake smile and as she put her hands behind her back, said,

"Ah, are you guys helping this guy with a request? Is it help for homework? That's not something that really needs a request, right~?"

I didn't have to think very hard to realize that Isshiki was clearly saying, "Hey. What's this scum doing here?", while flashing a radiant smile. Combined with the ominous aura she was emitting, it created a scary image.

Considering Reishiki's ability to understand social cues, I realized that it was pretty obvious to him too. Though, looking at him, I couldn't make out any sort of emotion other than confusion.

To my left, Yukinoshita, who was giving the teacups to their respective owners, answered Isshiki,

"Welcome, Isshiki-san. This person here is a new member of the Service Club, Reishiki Rei"

Isshiki's eyes widen considerably at this news but before she could speak, Yuigahama followed it up,

"He just joined yesterday after Hiratsuka-sensei brought him in"

Taking that as his cue, Reishiki introduced himself again.

Isshiki, hearing that he was a year above her, toned down her scary aura and introduced herself as well,

"Ah, so you're my senpai then. Hello, my name is Isshiki Iroha-desu. I'm a first year and also the Student Council President~"

Emphasizing that last part, Isshiki seems to be trying to make herself look superior to Reishiki using her high-level position despite being a first year.

Is she really that mad that her seat was taken? C'mon, we have a lot more behind me. There's no reason to be so attached to that one.

Maybe since her seat was taken by Yukinoshita during the Christmas event, she became more possessive of them. Hm, that must be it.

Turning to Reishiki, I saw he was even more confused. He then looked at the three of us and asked,

"Is she a member too?"

Lightly rubbing her hairbun, Yuigahama responded in a hesitant voice,

"Well, no...but Iroha-chan usually comes over after she's done with her Student Council work and hangs out with us. I guess she's like a honoring guest or something"

"Yuigahama-san, it's honorary"

Yukinoshita corrected her as if it was second nature to which Yuigahama replied, "Ah, that's what I meant".

Isshiki saw her opportunity and struck,

"Yup, that's right~! I usually sit right there when I come over too"

Closing the distance between herself and her chair, Isshiki stared at Reishiki, completely pressuring him both physically and mentally. Scary... Isshiki give him a break.

Thankfully, Reishiki conceded the chair, saying,

"Ah, my bad. I'll move my stuff out of the way first"

While it was the right decision, being pushed around by a junior was kinda pathetic. But hey, in your position, I would have done the same thing. That right there is no ordinary girl. Her specs were way too high for us loner and common folk to attempt rebellion, even if she was a year younger than us.

That's why, please donate to the Senpai Protection Foundation(SPF). With your help, you can stop senpai abuse...

Grabbing a chair from the back and placing to the right of Yuigahama, Reishiki just switched to the other side of the table, again ending up next to me, and continued doing his homework. Meanwhile, Yuigahama began asking Yukinoshita about sweets, particularly cakes.

In front of me, a sly fox, satisfied with winning her chair back, was smiling as she talked to me,

"Anyway, as I was saying Senpai, I need to ask you for a favor~"

"It's probably something like grunt work for the Student Council, right? I don't wanna"

I immediately refused, knowing full well it would be futile. I then decided to give an alternate option I knew she would refuse,

"Why don't you get Reishiki to help you? He's probably stronger than me"

Surprised at hearing his name, he looked up from his notebook and replied,

"Haha, nope, I'm pretty weak. I don't really try that much during gym, to be honest. The only exercise I really get is riding my bike to school"

Damn, he totally realized what I was trying to do. Not that it was hard to figure out. Still, he didn't look that weak. His body wasn't thin nor was it fat. I can't really tell anything with his uniform on though.

Isshiki didn't like the idea either (surprise, surprise) since she shot it down too,

"Ah, no thanks. I don't really need your help. Now that I think about it, it's not really that important either~"

Just how much do you hate this guy's guts already? He didn't even do anything wrong. He doesn't deserve this Tobe-like treatment. No one other than Tobe deserves that.

Well, I guess first impressions do form the basis of your interpretation for someone.

While I looked at Reishiki, who was already back to doing his homework looking like he didn't even listen Isshiki, I suddenly realized something and turned my head back the other way,

"Wait, if it wasn't that important, then why were you making me do it?"

Isshiki made a look that shouted, "Oh crap, he realized", and tried to play it off,

"W-well, I thought I should get some stuff done ahead of time. That way we have some extra time in case adjustments need to be done"

Uh-huh, I know you just want to force more slave labor on me.

Again, please donate to SPF, any donations of MAX Coffee would be much appreciated.

* * *

The rest of club went by with Isshiki joining Yuigahama and Yukinoshita who were talking about their day and other random stuff while Reishiki and I continued doing our respective activities.

Right as I was on my way home, I felt a vibration in my pocket. At the crosswalk, I stopped and checked my phone.

One received message from Yui:

[hey hikki! meet me the mall at 7. we're getting presents for yukinon! bring komachi too if you can!]

Seven? That's not a lot of time to shop unless she wanted to stay up really late. Well, it is Yukinoshita's birthday tomorrow. Yuigahama's been talking to me about this since Christmas break, so I don't really have a choice. Besides, I think I'll need her help to pick a present too.

* * *

Arriving at home, I told Komachi about shopping with Yuigahama to which she responded, with a bored look on her face,

"Hah...Onii-chan...Komachi can't go. She's sooo busy with studies, so go and get a present for Komachi too, okay?"

Well, that was expected. I dropped my bag off at my room and looked at my phone.

[6:15 pm]

I should get going.

On my way out of the door, I heard Komachi yell out, "Have fun, Onii-chan!"

Yeah, yeah.

Closing the door from the outside, I looked up to the sky. A shade of dark violet was gradually taking over and dominating its surroundings as I felt a gust of cold wind blow by. I had a strange feeling something unpleasant about to happen.


	7. Their Gifts and Their Presence (Part 1)

Waiting inside the mall, I was standing by a pillar close to the doors. Yuigahama sent me another text on my way here, telling me where we should meet up. Being about ten minutes early, I expected to be waiting for a while longer, but out of the corner of my eye, I notice a familiar shade of pink bobbing.

It seems that she noticed me as well and waved at me. Jogging over to me, I saw on top of her uniform, she wore a white jacket with a light pink scarf wrapped around her neck. When she reached me, she made a light "phew" and excitedly spoke,

"Hikki! You're here earlier than I expected. I thought for sure I would get here before you. I guess Komachi couldn't come, huh?"

"Nope. When I got home, I asked Komachi, who refused, then went straight here"

"Hm, that's too bad, I guess..."

As she said that, her voice slowly trailed off and her face became tinged with a slight shade of pink as she gradually turned her head down.

That's probably because she was running. Yup, that's it.

After that, we started walking around and looking for things Yukinoshita would like. I considered getting something Pan-san related but realizing that Yukinoshita probably already had anything I could easily buy, I changed my mind.

Going inside a glasses shop, I followed Yuigahama inside and I was reminded of a certain new club member,

"Hey, Yuigahama. Did you tell Reishiki it was Yukinoshita's birthday tomorrow?"

Her profile made a slight twitch and stiffed up. Without her needing to tell me, she turned around and rubbed the back of her head saying,

"Ehehe, I forgot"

"You idiot"

I reprimanded her to which she defended herself,

"Hey! I thought about texting him, but I realized I never got his number. Besides I was way more worried about asking yo- Ah! Never mind! I didn't say anything!"

Taking a step back and waving her hands in front of her, she showed a shocked expression.

Nope, you totally did. But, it's true that Reishiki pretty much just did his homework the whole time today. Besides talking at the beginning, he was quiet the rest of the time. Now that I think about it, I barely remember him leaving with us.

After trying out some glasses with Yuigahama, I found what I wanted to give Yukinoshita and we continued to look for another one for Yuigahama.

Large crowds of people were walking around, oddly enough, even though it was after school in the middle of the week. Looking into one of the packs, I was attacked by a Solar Flare.

AH! I knew only one person who uses that damn technique in reality! Straining my eyes to spot him, I was able to make out an image of Reishiki. Well, more like an aftereffect. He was moving through groups like a gentle breeze passing by. It would probably be safe to say no one even noticed his presence. Had I not been blinded, I wouldn't have noticed him either. In fact, I lost him until he was out in the open again. Was he a user of the Stealth Hikki, too? Nah, I think that might be even stronger than Stealth Hikki.

Yuigahama, who had been apparently looking at me, asked,

"Hey, why did you stop? Hm, what are you looking at? Ah, is that Reicchi?"

She called out to him, causing him to look like a deer caught in the headlights. No doubt, passing through people like that then suddenly being called out by someone would totally scared the crap out of them. He continued standing for a second then decided to walk over after seeing me as well. On a closer look, he wore a dark grey coat and still had his bag with him. I'm guessing he didn't go home given that.

"What are you guys doing here together? On a d-"

He started talking but before he could finish, I stopped him, knowing what he was about to say,

"No. We're shopping for gifts for Yukinoshita's birthday tomorrow"

"Oh, I see. Hm, I wonder if I should get her a present too..."

Yuigahama found her chance to insert herself into the conversation and asked Reishiki to join us,

"Of course! C'mon, you should come with us so we can find something together"

Reishiki politely declined responding with, "Eh, that's fine. I'll just get something on my own. I don't want to look conceited by getting a present she would want without knowing anything about her"

Unfortunately, no one could escape from the Yuigahama Special: Stubborn Begging, ver. Puppy Dog Eyes! Even the mightiest fell, for example, the Ice Queen, Yukinoshita. A peasant like Reishiki never stood a chance.

With a quiet sigh, Reishiki reluctantly agreed to join.

Finding myself in an accessories shop, I watched Yuigahama play with various cat and dog accessories. Watching her was already a form of entertainment, but considering our job was to find presents for Yukinoshita, I decided to help her decide by ruling out some choices for her,

"Looking at these, I'm pretty anything dog-related won't fly with her. The cat stuff would definitely work though"

She looked at me with a curious look on her face and replied,

"I knew that already, Hikki. I was looking at the dog stuff for me"

Of course, I should have realized that too. How long have we known each other? I feel kinda dumb saying that. Trying to avoid feeling more embarrassed, I looked around and realized Reishiki was gone. Walking around the store, I found him coming back inside near the entrance,

"Hey, where did you go? I didn't even notice you leave"

I narrowed my eyes and stared at him as I said that. Unperturbed, he responded,

"My bad. I went to the bathroom and on the way, I found what I wanted to buy"

Raising his left hand, he showed me a small cyan colored paper bag. From behind me, I heard Yuigahama yell out to us,

"Hey! You two, I got my present now. Let's get one for Reicchi now too!"

Noticing he was already holding a bag, Yuigahama looked surprised and said,

"Woah, you already got one too...well, I guess we're all done"

She looked a bit sad with a set of melancholic eyes on her face.

For what reason, I don't know. Maybe it was because she wanted to continue shopping, or maybe it was because Reishiki got one before we could even help him out.

Either way, it was time to go home, and as we walked, Reishiki and I were lagging behind while Yuigahama was walking in front us, a bit further away. Sensing this was my opportunity to talk with him, I began my interrogation,

"So, what were you doing here? Staying away from home, perhaps?"

Thinly veiled, but indirect enough that he could choose interpret multiple ways.

Noticing the seriousness in my voice, he responded in a slightly puzzled voice,

"Well, kind of. It's a bit noisy where I live and the house is pretty messy since my parents too busy to clean"

Crap, was I wrong about my guess? Nonetheless, I still had a few questions left,

"I see. Does have to do with why you go home early every other day?"

Even though he still looked puzzled, he answered me,

"Well, the house gets really messy if I leave it be for more than two days, so I come home early to clean up and cook dinner"

Sounds like he doesn't have siblings to help him either.

I decided to stop attacking from this angle. It was pretty common to have busy parents in Chiba so this wasn't too out of the ordinary. Besides, it might get too suspicious if I continued to ask about his family. I'm afraid I'd look like a creep trying to figure out everything about his personal life.

Switching up my tactics, I asked another question,

"Well, that's reasonable. By the way, how come you didn't give Yuigahama your number today?"

Considering he's had his bag with him since club time, it would seem pretty odd for him to say he didn't have his phone.

Despite this question being less intrusive compared to the previous two, it actually managed to make Reishiki to turn his head left, in my direction, but before he could speak, I felt a chill run down my spine as I heard a smooth yet alarming voice coming from behind me,

"Ara, Hikigaya-kun. What a coincidence! I didn't expect to see you outside during this time"

It was a voice that could belong to only one person.

Someone that I absolutely didn't want to meet.

For whenever, she appears, chaos ensued.

And the one to revel in the mayhem that follows, had appeared behind me,

Yukinoshita Haruno.

* * *

Since I was slightly turned to my right to talk to Reishiki, I grudgingly continued to turn my whole body until I faced the source of the voice. There, I was greeted by a breathtaking sight.

Underneath a light grey long coat, she wore a dark violet collared shirt and matching black dress pants. Adorned around her neck was a bright silver necklace with a bird centerpiece, facing forward with its wings spread out, connected to the necklace by the wings. Her image reflected that of a personified storm and like storms, Haruno's presence both amazed and terrified me.

A smiling expression, perfectly refined over years of countless use, was plastered on her face.

Above it, her eyes showed a much rawer emotion: one that anyone could see on a child about to play with its favorite toy. That is, if that child was a devilish brat hellbent on playing with the toy until it broke.

Sadly, those eyes were directed at me.

Aiming for a preemptive strike. I tried to question her first but I was too slow.

As I saw her mouth beginning to move, she spoke in a playful tone,

"What are you doing here, Hikigaya-kun?"

However innocently she sounded, I couldn't deceive myself to believe it.

But that doesn't mean I can't answer like I did.

"Just out shopping for some stuff"

Her eyes narrowed slightly while her mouth curved upward even more. Then it quickly changed again, this time with a joyful expression.

With her eyes closed and an innocent smile on her face, she tilted her head to the left and clapped her hands in front of her,

"Ah, out shopping for Yukino-chan's present?"

Immediately after, her eyes opened just enough to see and directed themselves toward a certain pink-haired girl, some distance away. Then, her smile dropped, and still with a playful voice, she added,

"But going on a date with another girl while doing that's no good, ya know"

Gulp.

Gosh, my throat sure is parched.

I almost went straight to apologizing with a dogeza but my past experiences taught me better.

That's why I managed to retort,

"It's not a date. We have another person with us"

Not that that person was invited at first, or wanted to join us for the matter.

But she didn't need to know that.

Turning to look to my left, I saw the wall.

Reishiki disappeared.

What the hell? Where does he keep disappearing to? Do we need to put a leash on him?

Wondering what type of harness would work best, I heard Haruno say,

"Hm? What other person?"

I turned my head to see her with a genuine curious look on her face.

I responded honestly,

"He was here a second ago, but he just disappeared"

But that only served to confuse her more.

Hey, I'm just as confused as you are.

"I don't see why you would lie about this but..."

As she put her finger on her lip and looked where I was looking, I noticed Reishiki appear to my right, sipping on a black can of coffee in his left hand with two more cans, along with his gift bag, on the other.

What? Why isn't there a MAX Coffee?

Wait, that's not the problem.

You bastard. You abandoned me with this ultra devil woman.

He walked over and handed me one of the cans in his right hand, never even looking at Haruno.

Haruno seemed to notice him after I took the can from him then with a probing look, she asked,

"This is who you were talking about? Hm..."

"Yea, he's a new club member"

Reishiki finally looked at her and stiffened for a second.

That's expected. It's no surprise to see him dumbstruck by Haruno. Her demeanor along with her appearance could probably break even the toughest men, assuming they were unable to see through her facade.

He then spoke in a voice slightly tinged with fear,

"Hello, my name is Reishiki. Nice to meet you"

"Mm, likewise. I'm Yukinoshita Haruno. I take it you've met Yukino-chan?"

She spoke in a normal voice, which served only to make me suspicious. There was no hint of excitement, real or artificial, and from the looks of it, she was somewhat bored. Her face was missing its usual smile and her eyes showed a hint of disinterest.

Reishiki, not knowing Haruno, probably didn't notice these things and assumed a neutral face on Haruno was normal. He was probably more preoccupied with calming down.

Man, teenage boys with their hormones.

Don't worry, she doesn't bite. She'll just play with you until you're absolutely broken or until she loses interest. Although looking at her reaction, you seem to fall into the latter.

Lucky you!

Even though I say that, it looks like he already collected his cool and responded,

"Yes, are you Yukinoshita's sister?"

"Yup"

Suddenly, I noticed footsteps gradually getting louder from behind me,

"Heeeeey! You guys! Why did you stop? And why didn't you tell me?!"

Evidently miffed and rightfully so, Yuigahama was running back to us and complained on the way. Upon getting closer, she saw Haruno and her eyes widened,

"Ah, Haruno-san. Yahallo! What are you doing here?"

Haruno's face returned to it's usual smiling form though I detected a hint of irritation in it,

"Gahama-chan, right? Yahallo, I just returned from some family business"

Explains the formal clothing.

Just then, a vibration echoed out from Haruno's direction. Pulling out her phone, she frowned when she looked at the screen, her boredom and disgust in plain sight. She answered and pressed the phone up to her ear,

"Hallo, it's Haruno...Oh? I see...Alright...Yup, I'll take care of it"

As she ended the call, she made an apologetic look and said,

"Sorry, Onee-chan has to go now. But before I leave..."

Before I knew it, her hands were cupped in a way so that it formed a tunnel connecting only her mouth and my right ear, the only receiver of her message. At this distance, I was almost entranced by her perfume but her whispered words tore me away from that bliss,

"Tell Shizuka-chan, there's no need for another one"

The way she said that, it felt like winter had returned, cold and unforgiving. I was so struck with terror, I instinctively backed off.

Wha-

Is she talking about that?

I couldn't think of anything else but that.

Fully expecting my reaction, Haruno smiled deviously and left, saying, "Ah, I wanted to chat a little longer. Oh well, bye bye, everyone", while waving her hand in front of her.

I continued to stare at her until she was fully out of view yet the words she uttered stayed with me even after that.

That night, for one reason or another, even weighted by exhaustion, I had trouble falling asleep.


	8. Their Gifts and Their Presence (Part 2)

""HAPPY BIRTHDAY!""

"Happy birthday"  
"H-happy birthday..."

While Yuigahama and Isshiki both screamed to their heart's content, with their hands in the air, Reishiki and I congratulated Yukinoshita in much tamer voices, though I ended up stuttering at the beginning.

The stark differences in volume went unnoticed by Yukinoshita who was currently looking down on the table with her cheeks flushed pink, standing out from her white skin. She was awkwardly rubbing her hands under the table then stood up quickly, apparently unable to handle the embarassment.

She began to speak,

"U-um, I'll get the te-"

But Yuigahama, who looked like a child scolding her mom, also stood up and, with her hands on her hips, interrupted her,

"Nope! Yukinon, sit down. I'll do it today"

"Ah, that's not safe. I'll do it"

This time, it was me who stood up as I quickly stopped her, afraid of finding out how she could ruin tea, and volunteered myself.

Both of them looked at me in surprise.

Then Yuigahama pouted,

"Hikki! How mean!"

Immediately after, Yukinoshita shyly began sitting back down after being scolded and with a sigh of relief, said,

"Thank you, Hikigaya-kun"

Yuigahama, quickly sat back down and whined at Yukinoshita while hugging her tightly,

"Yukinoooon!"

"So stuffy..."

As I prepared the tea, Isshiki began a conversation while cutting the cake she brought and distributing them on plates,

"So, what do you guys think about the coming marathon? I was thinking of adding something to make it more exciting, but I don't know what to do~"

Suddenly, I felt the temperature drop a couple degrees.

"Since it's my duty as a student of Sobu High, I will do it. But if I had my preference, I would rather not"

Yukinoshita said it as if spitting out something bitter, causing the room to turn silent for a moment.

Yuigahama, who was still attached to Yukinoshita, talked to return some warmth to the room,

"Ah, I think I remember hearing about Hayato winning last year"

Of course he did.

I think I remember hearing about that too.

Man, he should just be called Speedyma [Hayai-ma]

Isshiki followed it up saying,

"Ah! In that case, I should give some sort of prize to the first place winner since Hayama-senpai's probably going to win"

She mumbled some things, but the only thing I heard was something about giving him a kiss.

You know, I just can't figure out if you're a pure maiden or a sly fox.

I'll just go with a sly maiden.

"What do you think, Senpai?"

Suddenly addressing me, I looked at Isshiki for a second and casually responded,

"Ah, I don't really care. I'm just going to run to finish it"

"Hmm...I don't mind if you win though~"

Isshiki gave me teasing look and smile.

And also, nearly a heart attack.

"Don't worry, Isshiki-san, that definitely won't happen. He already lost the race in mental development, so logically, that means he's also behind physically"

Yukinoshita, who quickly found her opening, attacked without remorse. Caught off guard, I raised a shabby defence,

"Hey, just cause it's your birthday, doesn't mean I'm going to let that slide, you know?"

"Am I wrong?", she asked in a haughty voice.

"Yeah, I'll have you know riding a bike to school has given me rather strong legs"

I replied confidently, and decided it was time for a counterattack. After a pause, I added,

"And better stamina"

Clearly effective, it caused the Ice Queen to release a level one Cold Stare.

Yuigahama decided to join in and said,

"In that case, wouldn't Reicchi also have strong legs?"

Having the focus shifted to him, Reishiki responded,

"Well, I don't think I'm exactly slow..."

"Hmm, I don't think Hayama-senpai would be beaten so easily by a couple bikers. Especially by someone whose only exercise is that. The soccer club's more rigorous than that, you know~ I should know, I'm also its club manager"

Even though what she said could be applied to me, I had a feeling it was directed toward someone else.

It's not good to hold grudges, you know~

Guys find that kinda annoying...and also terrifying. Never knowing what girls remembered, they would agonize and wonder if girls were actually looking at them like trash.

So please don't do that.

I realized the tea was ready, and after distributing the cups and plates, we ate.

Mm, this cake's pretty good. From what I heard yesterday, this must be black forest cake.

It was chocolate cake coated in white frosting which had shredded bits of chocolate covering the surface, and finally, it was topped with six cherries equally spread out.

Taking a sip of the tea, I experienced heaven. The sweetness of the cake mixed with the taste of the warm black tea created a perfect harmony, putting me in state of bliss, along with everyone else in the room, which grew silent.

"This is quite good..."

For Yukinoshita to praise it herself, it further proved my case.

"Yeah, I know!"

"Right~?"

Yuigahama wholeheartedly agreed while Isshiki tried to score some points.

Well, I'll give her some. It was, afterall, her idea to buy this cake.

Off to my left, I saw Reishiki silently nod his head in agreement.

...

After a while, we finished eating and then came the promised time.

Present time(Heh).

Yuigahama started off, pulling out a small square-shaped present, wrapped with light pink wrapping paper, and handed it to Yukinoshita with a cheerful smile on her face,

"Here you go! From me, Yukinon!"

Yukinoshita graciously accepted, saying "Thank you" with a flushed face.

As if it was fragile, she opened it tenderly, afraid to damage what was inside.

What she found was a pair of cat mittens and cat socks to which she gently smiled and again, gave her thanks to Yuigahama.

"Ehehehe, it's no big deal. C'mon, Isshiki's got hers ready now"

Turning her head to the left, she was greeted by another present, this one spherical and wrapped in pastel orange paper, with various simple candy designs patterned on it.

"Yup~. Here you go, Yukino-senpai!"

With just as much care as before, Yukinoshita took it and slowly tore away the wrapper.

Inside was a cute black cat plushie.

Yukinoshita's eyes widen, and she immediately began lightly squeezing it a couple times, until she snapped back to reality.

"Thank you, Isshiki-san"

While her voice was not as tender as with Yuigahama, her smile showed just as much, or maybe even more joy.

It certainly looked like she enjoyed the gift.

Next up, Reishiki handed her the cyan paper bag he bought at the mall. Realizing I never knew what was inside, I suddenly became curious of its contents.

Yukinoshita gingerly took the bag while saying, "Thank you", to which Reishiki cooly replied with, "You're welcome".

After removing the filler paper inside the bag, Yukinoshita smiled and pulled out some specialty tea boxes.

Damn, this guy's not bad.

This way, he was able to both give her a thoughtful gift, using what he knew about her, and not look conceited at the same time.

It was a smart decision.

But that's why it bothered me.

Yukinoshita once again gave her thanks to Reishiki, though I noticed the distance her voice held compared to the other two.

Guess it's my turn.

As I handed my present to Yukinoshita, I think the color of my cheeks began to match hers.

She took it carefully and looked at it.

Wrapped in light green paper was a rectangular box hiding my gift.

As she began to slowly unravel the wrapping paper covering the box, my heart began to race.

Hm, that's odd. I don't remember running a marathon.

Finally, after removing the wrapping, she saw the white box protecting my present.

Silently taking a small breath, her face continued to redden, almost becoming the same shade as her hair ribbons.

Then, she delicately opened the box and, after seeing the contents, tenderly pulled it out with both hands.

Held between her fingers were a pair of yellow tinted glasses with a gunmetal blue rim.

But what caught my eyes was her expression.

In her eyes, I saw a beautiful tenderness that caused my heart to skip a beat.

Suddenly those eyes were staring at me, and before I realized it, she had put the glasses on and smiled gently.

In a voice even more tender compared to the one she used with Yuigahama, I heard her use the words I rarely received,

"Thank you, Hikigaya-kun."

Unable to take anymore, I broke eye contact and stared at the wall on my left.

But even still, my face continued to redden, so I decided to talk in order to bring attention away from my face.

"W-well, it looks good on you, I guess"

Yukinoshita closed her eyes and responded in a voice with a hint of joy,

"Is that so?"

"Mm"

She then slowly opened her eyes and once again, gave her thanks for all the gifts, bowing to each of us.

Just how many times do you need to say it?

I thought, with a small smile on my face.

* * *

After helping cleaning up, Reishiki left early to go home and clean up his house. As the four of us were about to leave as well, there was a knock on the door.

Just who is it that's knocking this late?

We're closed for the day, okay?

At least, that what I hoped to say, but Yukinoshita invited them in,

"Come in"

Opening the door, I was greeted by the familiar sight of drills.

Two of them, to be exact.

Attached to them was a blonde girl, who gave of an aura of a maiden in love, contrary to her usual fiery image.

Behind her was another girl with grey brown hair wearing red glasses.

Recognizing them to be Miura Yumiko and Ebina Hina, I moved on to questioning why they were here.

But that would be answered soon enough.

"Yumiko! Hina! Yahallo! What's the matter?"

As the bridge between the Ice and Fire Queens, Yuigahama greeted them and asked about the reason for their visit.

Ebina waved and responded,

"Hallo Hallo~. We came here today because Yumiko's got a request"

Lightly placing her hands on Miura, who was looking down with her shoulders scrunched together, she encouraged her to talk.

Gathering her will, determination flowed into Miura's eyes but there was still a sense of wavering. Directing her eyes at Yukinoshita, she began to speak,

"I have a request for you guys, okay? I want to know something..."

Yukinoshita, probably in a good mood after the earlier events, spoke rather gently towards Miura,

"Hm? I don't have any problems accepting but I'll need you to be a bit more specific"

Miura then looked down and her cheeks began to take on a pink hue. Almost mumbling, she said,

"Nmmm...I-I-I w-want-... Grrah! I wanna know what Hayato's picking for his classes next year!"

Letting out her feelings in one burst, I jerked backwards from the heat of her passion.

Yukinoshita reacted the same way and after a second, responded,

"Um, please keep it down. With that said, why do you want to know so bad that you would bring it up as a request?"

Miura, calming down after revealing her wishes, apologized,

"S-sorry. I just want to, okay? There's not much time left, and I want to spend as much of it with Hayama...so...you know? It's just that"

Wow, casually pouring out your love like that.

Miura...you're pretty brave.

But Yukinoshita, upholder of righteousness, saw something wrong with this innocent love,

"You realize that this will determine your future, right? You can't just pick one because it's the one Hayama-san picked"

Almost exactly what Hayama said.

But this time, there was no interruption to stop her from replying.

"I know that...but still, I want to know. I can just do whatever next year and focus on what I'm going to pursue in college"

Contrary to how she said it, her determination was clear.

But I guess, it could work. While high school was important, college is when you would truly have to focus in on your path.

Yuigahama, who had been silent, probably conflicted with deciding who to support, gave her opinion,

"Yumiko...Yukinon's probably right...but, I understand...that's why...I'll support you"

Yukinoshita sighed in defeat and turned to me, apparently waiting for me to decide.

Isshiki, who was quietly watching the events unfold, suddenly turned to me and said,

"Well, Senpai, you heard them"

Looking at her phone, she continued,

"Soccer club's ending in five minutes. If you hurry, you can still make it~"

Haa...

Yeah.

I got it.


	9. A Closed Window

_Note: As a warning, I should say that this chapter's going to be pretty dramatic._

 _It's also twice the size of my usual one, so there's that..._

* * *

The warmth of the orange sun was beginning to fade.

Feeling the cold wind pass by as I pedaled my way home, I recalled what happened after I left the clubroom...

(...)

After jogging my way to the soccer field, I was out of breath.

According to Isshiki, with only five minutes to get there, I had no choice but to hurry.

When I finally caught sight of students, they were already dispersing, apparently finished changing, and were in process of leaving of the locker rooms.

While I spotted a few blond heads, none of their owners matched the image of the perfect superhuman being that I was looking for.

Assuming he was still in the locker room, I approached the closest of the sweaty students to confirm.

Obvious, even underneath his uniform, he had well-built body. Looking at his head, he had brown hair, spiked up with gel, and green eyes. He was currently patting his face with a small towel, but seeing that he was alone, I thought it would be fine to approach him,

"H-hey, do you know if-"

"Hi! Are you talking to me? Hahaha, well, don't be shy! I, Tokushi Hato, class 2-C, am always willing to help! Hahaha! Are you looking to join the soccer club, perhaps? It's a little late now though, with the year ending and all..."

Uwaaah, what's with this Tobe-like guy?

All smiles and laughter...Too bright...

Not to mention, so loud!

Stop being so friendly. I might get the wrong idea, you know!

And you're like an NPC, I barely approached you, and you're already raising flags!

Wait, I don't have time for this.

With a weak voice, I managed to stammer out,

"..Ha-.. Is Hayama Hayato... still in the locker room?"

Man, talking while out of breath is a pain...

His face lost some of its radiance at the mention of Hayama's name, but he ended responding with less enthusiasm than before,

"The captain, huh? Nope, he left early today for some reason. Was that all?"

Woah, the friendliness disappeared, just like that.

This guy probably envies Hayama's popularity.

Seeing how desperate he was to act cheerful at the beginning, he must really care about being popular.

So Hayama left already...

Damn, what do I tell them?

I guess there's not much else I can do for today...

I started turning around as I replied,

"Yeah, thanks..."

Reviving his cheerfulness, he responded with excitement,

"No problem! I, Tokushi Hato, class 2-C, am always willing to help!"

Yeah, okay. I get it.

You're name is Tokushi Hato. I'm going to forget it in about an hour anyway, so there's no point in repeating yourself. Not like we're ever going to meet again.

...2-C?

That's the same class as Reishiki, I think.

Awkwardly turning back around, I picked up the already completed conversation,

"Ah, actually, I have another question. Do you know someone named Reishiki Rei?"

I was afraid that I might be wrong about his class, but his response put me at ease,

"Reishiki-kun? Yes, he's in our class. Did you need something from him?"

This is might not be a fruitless conversation, after all.

"Well, he just joined our club, so I was wondering what kind of person he was..."

Gah, that might have been too direct.

He made a face that looked like he was thinking hard,

"It's kinda difficult to just suddenly give an opinion on someone like that..."

After a moment, seeing that I was still waiting, he continued,

"Well, what can I say? He's not a bad guy.."

Wow, how insightful.

"..He's not exactly anti-social, but he doesn't really talk unless you start the conversation..."

That's a bit better.

"..He's really quiet otherwise..he's kinda like a friendly ghost...though just between you and me...he's a bit boring."

Oh, that was unexpectedly honest.

Usually when people talk about others, they avoid making someone look bad.

Now you might think that's because they're trying to be nice, but that's a bit off the mark.

What they want is to look nice.

If you ask about someone and the other person responds by talking crap about them, then you'll subconsciously think they're a shitty person too.

On the other hand, if all the other person says is just good stuff about them, then you can't rely their opinion either. They've just avoided the other half of that person.

In that case, I can trust this guy's opinion.

He was surprisingly objective, giving both positive and negative sides to Reishiki.

Though it was less information than I had hoped for...

I decided to ask one last question before giving my thanks and meeting up with the girls.

(...)

I arrived home and after storing my bike, I entered the house to find it dark and empty.

Surprised that Komachi wasn't here yet, I checked my phone to see an unread text message.

It seems like she'll be late today since she's going to a group study.

I guess it's just me and Kamakura today...

Since I wasn't too hungry yet, I decided to brew myself a cup of coffee instead.

As I was doing so, I continued to recall what happened...

(...)

It didn't take long to locate the girls.

Each one of them stood out in their own way, so finding them was no problem.

At the entrance of the building, they were closely huddled together, mostly likely because of the cold, and were looking around.

Yukinoshita was wearing her dark blue coat and scarf next to Yuigahama who wearing the same coat and scarf as yesterday. Next to them, Miura and Ebina were also wearing similar looking outfits to Yuigahama, albeit different colors.

Completing the circle was Isshiki, wearing a light brown coat, watching two of the girls awkwardly try to avoid eye contact.

I'm guessing that Yukinoshita still held same opinion but wants to apologize to Miura, while Miura was too embarrassed to look at Yukinoshita after showing her weakest side.

Meanwhile, Yuigahama and Ebina were looking at one another wondering what they should do.

Noticing me, the four of them, excluding Isshiki, sighed in relief.

Yuigahama was the first to speak,

"Hikki! How did it go? Did you talk to Hayato?"

I shook my head no and explained,

"Nope, he was already gone. Apparently, he left early"

Isshiki gave a surprised look and muttered,

"Huh? I don't remember anything about that. Hayama-senpai should have told me..."

Maybe he would have if you actually went to the club once in a while, manager-san~

The one who made the request looked disheartened as she heard the news and eventually spoke while looking at the ground,

"I see..."

She paused and looked up.

Her eyes looked like they were about to break into tears as she said,

"...thanks for trying, Hikio"

Yuigahama and Ebina panicked and quickly comforted Miura,

"It's okay, Yumiko, there's still tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah yeah, it's not over yet..."

It seemed to help a tiny bit, since Miura's eyes calmed down. But her face was still frozen in that look of sorrow.

Yukinoshita, who was quietly watching, after seeing Miura almost cry, also tried to comfort her,

"Don't worry, Miura-san. If necessary, I will force Hayama-san to tell me, as a last resort"

She really is weak to tears, huh?

Miura who was too depressed to ask how she would do that, gave a small halfhearted smile and said, "Thanks".

As Miura and Ebina left, Isshiki joined them and took over Yuigahama's position of comforting Miura.

With just the three of us left, I brought up my conversation with Reishiki's classmate,

"Well, I can't say that it was completely useless. I ended up finding more about Reishiki from one of the soccer club members"

The two of them looked at me, then Yuigahama spoke,

"Ah, that's right. There's Hiratsuka-sensei's request too, huh? This is kind of difficult, managing two requests at once..."

Yukinoshita sighed afterwards and agreed,

"Indeed...In my opinion, we should prioritize Miura-san's request. There's no deadline with Hiratsuka-sensei's request, not to mention, we don't know how to solve it"

She gave the correct judgment.

With Reishiki, there's no need to rush. He was stuck in this club whether he liked it or not. Eventually, one day, we would find out.

On the other hand, the issue with Hayama needs to be resolved quickly. The third year class forms were due after school on Friday.

The day of the marathon.

We were pressed for time. That gave us one day, tomorrow, to find out what he picked unless we used the marathon itself to our advantage.

But...

I don't think I could focus on Hayama with how much the other request was bothering me.

That meant I had to finish it first.

Thankfully, I felt like I was getting closer to understanding the enigma known as Reishiki Rei.

From his classmate's opinion, I only need a little bit more insight until I could finally form to a conclusion.

With that in mind, I told them,

"Actually, I think I can solve Hiratsuka-sensei's request soon, but I feel like there's one piece I'm missing until I can understand Reishiki..."

Their expression changed at the same time, into the same look of shock.

They turned to each other and Yuigahama began,

"He hasn't..."

To which Yukinoshita made a small smile and replied,

"I guess, it makes sense...don't you think so?"

Yuigahama returned the smile,

"Yeah..."

The two of them turned to me.

(...)

Looking at the fridge, I realized that there was no milk left.

Guess I'll be drinking it black.

After pouring the freshly made coffee into a mug, I began to ponder.

I have all the pieces now...

I just need to put them together.

Think, Hachiman.

Think. Until all the options have been exhausted.

Who is Reishiki Rei?

What is his motive?

...

Does he have a motive?

Is he even trying to accomplish anything?

I took a sip of the bitter coffee and remembered what those two said...

(...)

Yuigahama began,

"Hikki. We don't really understand everything, but if it helps, we'll tell you what we think"

Yukinoshita nodded and Yuigahama continued,

"How should I say this? When I talk to Reicchi, it feels weird. Even though we're talking, it doesn't really feel like we are...or something. I don't really know how to say it but it's just...that..."

She began looking down in the middle of talking, but at the very end, she looked up. Staring directly into my eyes, hoping that what she couldn't say, could be conveyed this way instead.

I didn't fully understand what she meant, but when she looked at me, I realized something that overlooked.

Seeing that Yuigahama stopped talking, Yukinoshita figured it was her turn,

Her face formed a look of determination, as if she was fully set on making sure I would understood what she was going to say,

"Hikigaya-kun, there's not much I can say...when Reishiki and I walked together to the teacher's lounge, he didn't speak at all. I almost forgot he was walking alongside me at one point. His footsteps were almost completely inaudible...but, there's one thing I can tell you that might help:

Before he introduced himself, I didn't know his name"

(...)

I stared into the mug of coffee, looking into the black abyss.

Well, I guess it would be more accurate to call it very dark brown.

...

Have I been looking at all this, the wrong way?

At this point, it would be inaccurate to say that Reishiki is a normie.

But in trying to understand his actions, am I still looking from that point of view?

Have my first impressions chained me down from understanding him?

There's another viewpoint I can look from...

Something that I've been holding back...

But using that...

I think...I just might be able to see it.

Just who Reishiki Rei is.

* * *

As I sat on the bench, drinking a can of tomato juice in one hand with another in my opposite hand, I looked up at the sky, waiting for the sun to rise.

It was still dark; the only source of light being the streetlamp to my right. Alone in this cold and empty park, surrounded in silence, as if secluded from the rest of the world, I couldn't help but feel gloomy.

As a gust of cool wind blew from the same direction as the streetlamp, I turned my head left to protect my eyes. In doing so, I saw two circles of light approaching, reflected from a pair of glasses, and soon afterwards, its owner came into view.

Even in this quiet park, I still couldn't hear him.

When Reishiki was about to enter the area illuminated by streetlamp, he stopped and finally made a sound.

With a voice filled with curiosity, he uttered the words:

"Good morning. You said you had something to talk about?"

After I had finished my coffee and wrapped up my thoughts, I contacted Reishiki using his phone number.

Something I received from the soccer club member after asking.

Apparently he had no problem giving it to his classmates since that guy wasn't the only one who had it.

In my message, I told Reishiki to meet me between 5 to 6 am at the park near a certain building.

Usually empty, at at one point, it was a place I enjoyed staying at.

I tossed him the other can with my free hand, intending to repay him for the one in the mall, and motioned for him to sit down with my eyes.

He caught both the can and my message as he took a seat on the bench while opening the silver can of tomato juice.

I answered his earlier question,

"I called you to tell some stuff. First, after you left, we received a request"

He nodded and replied, without any change in his voice,

"I see. What's it about?"

I winced internally.

Aware of it, it bothered me even more.

But I continued.

I couldn't back down anymore. Not after realizing that...

"It's a request to find out what Hayama Hayato picked for his third year class"

He showed a surprised look and said,

"Oh? Hayama-san, huh? That's rather specific. Did you call me to discuss some plans?"

"No, I was just curious about which one you were picking"

I had one goal in this meet up.

But first, I needed to confirm a couple things.

Without any hint of suspicion, he answered,

"Me? I'm picking the sciences"

As I expected.

I realized two things about Reishiki Rei:

One, Reishiki Rei is good at hiding.

It may be too much to sum it up with just that, but it explained most his actions.

In a literal sense, it was obvious.

Reishiki always moved quietly. He could walk through a group of people without them realizing he had been there. They might have seen him, but he went by unnoticed. It was to the point that even someone next to him in an empty hallway would forget he was there.

But there was another part to this.

That is, his social life.

It's hard to recognize at first, but whenever Reishiki interacts with others, he's trying to hide.

At first glance, that probably seemed odd, but the secret lied in its purpose.

In truth, it was something I had once thought of.

But understanding how much I'd have to drown myself in lies and superficiality, I couldn't force myself to do it.

By being generic and boring, Reishiki achieved similar effects as being a loner, but his methods were even more effective.

Look at it this way:

If a loner constantly avoided talking to people, they wouldn't really be forgotten. They would be ignored, but people very much knew they were still there.

In time, as people think back to their high school days, they would look at that person's photograph and remember they were a loner.

But if you talked the minimum amount, then you could hide yourself into a group without anyone truly knowing you.

That's what Reishiki set out to accomplish.

By saying the necessary words to seem like a sociable person, Reishiki Rei infiltrated himself into the biggest caste in the school:

The commoner class.

That's why to a person highly sensitive to anything involving interpersonal relationships like Yuigahama, Reishiki Rei's words bothered her.

Whenever he spoke, he didn't talk with the intent to communicate anything. He was just filling in the blanks.

That's why his answers were generic.

That's why his classmate thought he was boring.

That's why I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

Unlike Yukinoshita Haruno, whose mask was so flawless that it obviously fake, Reishiki Rei hid behind the face of the common people.

In that case, why would he pick the sciences?

Not because he was strong in math.

What he wants to do is lighten the burden.

In the sciences, there wouldn't be as much need to socialize to fit in. As Yuigahama said, there's not a lot of girls there. It was filled with quiet boys, interested in pursuing a career relating to sciences. He might be able to blend in even more with that group.

Looking even closer, even his gift for Yukinoshita was a hint.

Different from clothing, accessories, or toys, Reishiki chose tea.

Something that will one day be consumed, run out, or even expire.

But in any case, I wasn't going to last forever.

Unlike the rest of the gifts, the tea had no sentimental value.

That wasn't its purpose.

It was something with a definite end.

Something temporary.

With all that in mind, what was the purpose of doing all this?

It was simple, really.

When someone is honestly hiding, they have but one desire:

To not be found.

In other words...

Reishiki Rei does not want to be remembered.

But this was only one of two things.

I stood up, my can of tomato juice half empty.

I really hate tomatoes.

I turned to face Reishiki who still sitting down and looking curious as to why I stood up. He turned his head in my direction and his glasses aligned the light of the streetlamp to reflect onto my eyes.

Even though it wasn't very bright, it was still blinding.

But I wouldn't look away.

I squinted my eyes to see.

This is the last confirmation I need.

I slowly raised my right hand which held the can, across my chest to my left shoulder.

Then in one quick motion, I whipped my hand down to right.

In that moment, all the remaining contents of my can violently shot out from the small oval opening, striking the face of only person in my sight, covering it in a coat of red.

...

This had two purposes:

First, to see his reaction,

And just as I feared, he reacted exactly as I anticipated.

Missing from his face was one of the most basic human emotions:

Anger.

Instead, what took its place was a look of confusion.

This was my second realization:

His unnaturally calm demeanor.

Since the beginning, the signs were there, but looking at them individually, you could reason them out.

Forced into the club by Hiratsuka-sensei against his will...

There must have been a valid reason if a teacher was doing it.

Interrupted by Yuigahama while he was introducing himself...

He must have been more concerned about the club.

Belittled almost openly by Isshiki...

She was just a bratty junior, not worth getting angry at.

Coming out this early in the morning, without a hint of annoyance...

He could just be a morning person.

If it was just those, I might, with enough will to deceive myself, be able to say that he just had a very lax, laid-back attitude.

But to be looked at like...that...by Haruno.

Even if he didn't know her, with his ability to read social gestures, it was obvious that he was nothing more than trash to her.

And finally, what I just did.

It was utterly inexcusable.

With full, blatant intent on pissing him off, he shrugged it off, like it was nothing to worry about.

So in that case, how does this and his skill at hiding relate?

What tied them together?

There was only one thing I could think of.

One thing that they could stem from.

A single trait.

Or rather, the lack of it.

It was vile...disgusting...absolutely repulsive.

But most of all,

It was something I was all too familiar with.

It's what allowed me to do things that no person should be willing to do, let alone even think about.

But right now, it wasn't about me.

With all my suspicions answered, there was only one more thing before I could truly begin.

All that's left was for Reishiki to satisfy the other purpose of my little act.

Mentally preparing myself, I watched closely as he finally revealed what it was that I wanted to see.

Removing the barrier that hid the window to his soul, Reishiki pulled off his glasses, stained red from the tomato juice, and slowly opened his eyes.

As if in slow-motion, I gradually saw an image that struck terror into the deepest parts of my mind:

With irises the same color as raw oil, I gazed at a pair of eyes that evoked the same feeling as the furthest reaches of space:

Cold, lifeless, and devoid of all light.

But what truly frightened me was as I stared into the abyss, I couldn't help but recognize just how similar they looked to the rotten eyes of a certain other person.

Suddenly, Haruno's parting words came to mind.

'..there's no need for another one.'

When she said 'another one'...

She didn't mean another club member...

She meant another Hikigaya Hachiman.

That's why when she looked at Reishiki, she had no interest.

To someone who was always entertained by something original and new, a cheap knock-off like Reishiki was nothing but trash.

And she wasn't the only one who realized.

Those two also knew, to a certain extent.

That's why Yukinoshita, the model student who knew name of everyone in school except for me, told me that.

Knowing everything, I hesitated to continue.

In any other circumstance, I would have left Reishiki alone but...

I had a request from Hiratsuka-sensei.

No...

That's a lie.

I won't hide behind something like a request.

There was specific reason I chose to do this now.

I knew exactly where this path was headed...

That's why I can't let this continue.

Removing the last of my doubts, I realized everything was set.

My suspicions were answered, and there was no longer a glass wall for Reishiki to hide behind.

Right now, I could clearly see that which Reishiki worked so hard to hide:

A dense titanium safe, hidden deep within the part of his soul that no one else saw. Inside it were all the feelings and thoughts he struggled to contain.

I'm sure there was some sort of code that would easily open it, and that in time, I could eventually find out what it was.

But I didn't have it, and knowing everything that I do now, I no longer had the self-control to wait.

That leaves me with just one way.

To force it open.

Changing the confused look in his face to one of concern, Reishiki was about to speak, but I had no intention of letting him control the flow of his conversation,

"Reishiki Rei..."

I called out his name and paused, waiting for him to truly hear me.

So that he would fully understand the following words,

"..I loathe you"

His face didn't change.

He was still hiding.

"The way you live your life is absolutely disgusting..."

A look of surprise.

"...How you cower behind lies and deceit..."

A look of fear.

"...How you stifle your own feelings and thoughts..."

A look of defeat.

"...To kill your own personality..."

A solemn look.

"...All because of one insignificant thing..."

Then, I saw in his eyes, the box about to break.

Reishiki's head dropped down to the ground.

It's what I was waiting for.

As the light of the streetlamp disappeared, we became engulfed in darkness.

And I uttered the final words that would push him over edge,

"...What a joke. You're pathetic. Weak. It's no wonder you don't have any **self-worth"**

It echoed out of the empty park, followed by silence.

"..."

Wanting to move in this place stuck in time, I took a step towards him.

In one instant, he was standing, looking directly at me.

No sound was heard, but his eyes, burning with a silent rage, communicated everything.

In a voice that could no longer contain his emotions, he spoke only slightly louder than usual but for the first time, I could hear him,

"What do you know..."

The anger in his eyes grew,

"How dare you call me weak?"

He continued, spitting out bitter words,

"...When you have those..."

From within me, I was faced with shock as I processed what lied underneath his words. Even without saying it, I understood exactly what he was referring to.

His voice began to grow louder as he continued,

"...Helping and being helped by others..."

I felt my own anger rise as my eyebrows began to narrow.

"You... in the company of friends who can accept for your true nature...You have no right to speak as if you understand me!"

It was the final straw.

I shot back, unaware how much anger my voice held,

"My relationships with those two were forged in countless struggles! From the beginning, our meetings were wrong. But we didn't stop. We couldn't!"

All because of that damned club...

"Even when it seemed like there was no way to repair it, we struggled to hold on!"

..I was forced to look at my own hypocrisy.

"But it was when we finally let go, that we found ourselves growing closer"

That's why I won't allow him to say that.

"You, who drowns himself in self-pity and hate, could never understand how much it takes to strive for something like that!"

Unable to contain my own box, I spoke the words I could never take back,

"In this world surrounded by lies and deceit, they're the only ones who will accompany me as I struggle to reach for something genuine."

To my right, the sky lightened as it became illuminated by the sun.

Once again, we were stuck in silence.

With both of our hearts laid out, we continued standing and looking at each other, refusing to let our own beliefs lose.

But he was wavering.

His face, still dripping with the red tomato juice, no longer held anger.

In his eyes, I saw him in a state of self-conflict...

Then, it stopped.

He looked at the ground and slowly sat back down.

He placed his right hand on his face and his eyes stared past the ground,

"Genuine, huh..."

Then unexpectedly, his eyes began to water,

"I'm just so tired of all this..."

Those eyes turned to look at me, and I received a question that carried all of his burden:

"Is it okay for me to look for something genuine too?"

There were many answers I could give him that would put him at ease.

But none of them would let him find it.

That's why there was only one answer I could give,

"That decision's up to you..."

I borrowed the same words I once received,

"Think. Writhe. Struggle...Only then will you find something genuine"

He took in my response and looked back down.

"I see..."

I realized his face was still dripping with the tomato juice and pulled out a handkerchief from my pocket.

Extending my hand out to give it to him, he took it.

As he was cleaning his face, I proceeded to ask him one more question.

One thing still bothered me:

An advantage of his hiding skill was it also made him invisible to teachers. Especially the meddlesome teachers like Hiratsuka-sensei, who would involve themselves to help kids like me.

In that case, how did she find him?

I'm assuming that he didn't write an essay detailing the ugliness of youth.

"Why did Hiratsuka-sensei force you to join the club?"

He turned to me and gave me a melancholic smile,

"I was about to jump off the roof"

...

That's way more than I expected.

He looked down to clean his glasses and continued,

"Funnily enough, my first priority was making sure that I put my phone in my bag. I thought, 'If bring this with me, then it'll get broken. I can't go and waste a phone just cause of this'"

That's completely ridiculous.

Just how deep is your lack of self-worth?

He gave a small chuckle,

"As I climbed the other side of the railing, I stopped to imagine how someone would have to see my dead body, then it would have to be cleaned up. As I realized that doing it this way would cause trouble for someone, I was violently pulled back and slammed on the ground of the rooftop. There I was forced to look up at Hiratsuka-sensei who began yelling at me, telling me just how ridiculous I am. That I shouldn't throw my life away like that"

He had paused to take a breath.

Hiratsuka-sensei's face just before leaving the club room resurface in my mind as I understood the meaning behind it.

He continued his story,

"After that, I was dragged to the teacher's lounge where she continued to lecture me, but at that point, I was still in shock at what just happened. When she asked me questions, I just replied on autopilot. I'm guessing she realized since she stopped talking altogether and dragged me to your club room"

He stopped for a second and put his glasses back on,

"Then I saw you guys, and even though I was so envious, I couldn't help but laugh as I watched you guys talk without holding back...I knew if I allowed myself to continue interacting with you guys, the three of you would eventually see through me. So I kept quiet, using homework as an excuse. But you guys just couldn't leave me alone..."

Trailing off, he stopped again, apparently finished.

Once more, he turned to look at me, his glasses reflecting a small amount of light into my eyes,

"Thanks, Hikigaya"

But for some reason, I was sure that behind those glasses, some of that light came from his eyes.


	10. Where the Wind Blows (End)

After what took place, Reishiki went back home to change out of his stained clothes. As for me, I did the same so that I could put on my school uniform.

On my way back, I thought of everything that just took place and realized I had yet another person who heard me talk about finding something genuine.

I've been dropping that word pretty easily, huh?

At this rate, I'm going to be known as the genuine guy.

As I entered the house, Komachi rushed from upstairs to the door, where she saw me. She then showed me an angry look and yelled,

"Onii-chan! Where were you?! I went into your room to wake you up, but you were already gone. I thought you might be with Yui-san or Yukino-san, but when I contacted them, neither of them had any idea!"

Ah, I forgot to tell her I was leaving. But even if I did, I don't know how I would explain it to her.

Hey, Komachi, I'm going to tear open this guy's deepest secrets and force him to change by splashing juice on his face. I'll be back in hour!

Yeah, right.

As I was thinking that, she assumed my silence to be one of shame and lectured me in the most ridiculous way,

"Onii-chan...you can't run away, okay? That's reserved only for Komachi!"

I ignored it and apologized without saying the reason for my absence,

"Sorry, I was taking care of some stuff"

It looked like she expected my response as she made a bored expression,

"Well, I should have realized that you weren't going to say it...Unfortunately for you, those two told me what you were probably doing!"

Halfway through, she smiled and spoke in a excited tone.

There goes trying to look cool and mysterious.

* * *

Soon enough, I was at school as if nothing new had happened, currently sitting in my desk as I waited for classes to end. The only thing that had caught my attention was that group in the corner with a very lackluster blonde girl. Next to her, Yuigahama and Ebina both looked troubled from seeing her so depressed.

With all three of the girls obviously looking down, I could only wonder what a certain handsome blonde was thinking.

Before I knew it, I was facing the door leading to the club room. Without any hesitation, I opened it and entered inside.

Alone in the room was Yukinoshita who looked up from her book as she saw me entering and greeted me calmly,

"Hello. I trust you weren't up to something illegal again this morning, Hikky-thiefy-kun?"

Scratch that, she was already starting today.

Not in the mood to play around, I replied honestly,

"You already know, don't you?"

She made a gentle smile as she responded with,

"I can think of a few guesses"

With that, she turned back to her book as I pulled my own out of my bag.

After a few minutes of peace, the door lazily slid open as Yuigahama entered with a halfhearted, "Yahallo", and sat in her seat.

She made a small sigh that caused Yukinoshita to look at her with worry.

Well, that was expected. There's no way Yuigahama would be able to stay normal after seeing Miura like that. Unfortunately, that kind of behavior spread, evident from Yukinoshita looking worried.

As I watched her trying to think of something to cheer Yuigahama up, I realized there was one more person missing before club would unofficially begin. However, I wasn't sure if he was even going to show up today. Even though he looked calm as he was leaving, I'm sure that he's still thinking about everything.

Just as I did.

After finishing that thought, I heard the door open once again as someone entered.

Walking in was a male student with short black hair that looked like it was combed down then blown back by the wind. He wore his uniform to school regulations and adopted a good back posture. On his face were a pair exposed eyes with its irises colored black.

In other words, it was Reishiki Rei. Almost everything about him was the same, yet fundamentally, something was different. For starters, I actually heard him open the door.

But the key difference was the pair of glasses missing from his face.

Off to my side, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita both stared at him in wonder. When he noticed their stares, Reishiki tilted his head curiously then raised his hand up to his chest and gave his greeting,

"Hey"

Out of habit, the three of us returned it with our own,

"Hello"

"Yahallo"

"Yo"

Afterwards, he moved to sit down in his spot between Yuigahama and I. As he sat down, Yuigahama turned to him and asked,

"Did you forget your glasses today, Reicchi?"

"Nope, I decided to put them to rest. I'm wearing contacts right now"

He looked at her as he spoke, then after a short pause, he added with a sheepish grin,

"It's a bit uncomfortable though"

Before I realized it, I had already responded with,

"You'll get used to it"

Hearing that, he turned his head towards me and gave me a mature look,

"I guess so..."

Just what were we talking about, I wonder?

Changing the subject, he turned back to those two and asked,

"I heard from Hikigaya there's a request concerning Hayama Hayato.."

After hearing that, Yuigahama looked down and said, "Yeah..", in a small voice. Realizing that she probably wasn't going to elaborate, he turned his attention to Yukinoshita who answered his expectations,

"Yes. We received it yesterday after you left. It's a request to find out what Hayama-san is picking for his third year classes"

Already knowing this, I questioned why Reishiki would ask them about it, but as he continued, I understood what he was aiming for.

"Hmm, I don't see how this would help the one who made the request though..."

Understanding what he meant, Yuigahama looked up in shock while Yukinoshita turned away in guilt.

What he was referring to was the Service Club's purpose: To help others grow...

While the three of us understood how much value this request held for Miura, Reishiki was unaware. That's why inside Yuigahama's eyes, I could see her in conflict. It looked like she wanted to be mad at Reishiki for saying that without knowing Miura, but at the same time, objectively, he was right. Struggling to explain it, Yuigahama created a nonsensical excuse,

"Well...it's more of a personal request...sort of thing..."

I saw Reishiki close his eyes for a moment and think. After a few seconds, he opened them and said,

"In that case, I'll help out"

Yuigahama looked relieved at having Reishiki accept, but being a club member, that was already expected of him. The problem now is whether he's going to be of any help. I don't think he knows much Hayama or Hayama's maxed out social skill. In an attempt to confirm that, I spoke up,

"You're already supposed to do that. In any case, what do you know about Hayama Hayato?"

He stopped and thought for a couple seconds.

"I know he's popular and captain of the soccer club..."

That's it? So you know just as much as everyone in the school then?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, he's in a different class after all. I guess there's not much he'll be able to help with if he didn't understand who Hayama is. At least, that's what I thought, before he continued,

"But there's only one thing I need to know to solve this request.."

Then, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita looked at him in anticipation while I looked with suspicion. After seeing that our attention was focused on him, he asked,

"..Is he a trustworthy guy?"

* * *

It was the next day, Friday.

In other words, it was the day of the marathon.

After receiving a yes to his question, Reishiki told us with a small smirk on his face, "to tell the requester that he or she would be receiving the answer tomorrow". Following that, I questioned him, only for him to avoid it. Yuigahama and Yukinoshita also looked curious about it but decided to leave it him.

As of right now, the boys were getting ready to start soon by warming up and changing, though I was already done with both.

Man, if this was a changing race, I would have won.

After a few minutes of walking around, I saw Hayama and Reishiki some distance away. Moving closer, they appeared to talking to each other. Curious about it, I moved even closer to hear and heard the very end of it,

"I don't mind, but I don't see what you're trying to do..."

"It's too late to back out now. You've made a promise, haven't you?"

I see. So Reishiki was aiming for this...

By making Hayama promise something, he would be able to force out an answer. But there were a few shortcomings:

One, the fact that Hayama could break his promise. It was rather obvious, but seeing how sure the three of us were when we answered, he must have judged that Hayama would keep it, even if Hayama was on the losing side.

Two, I don't know what the promise was, but if Hayama agreed to it, then that must mean that it was supposed to be fair for both sides. Though the look in Reishiki's eyes showed no doubt on his own victory.

After Reishiki turned to leave, he saw me and made a small wave,

"Hey"

I replied and asked him about his previous conversation,

"Yo. Was that related to your plan from yesterday?"

He made a small grin and responded with a question,

"Did you hear what we were talking about?"

"No, just the very end about keeping a promise"

His grin widen and he ended the conversation with,

"Then it'll be even better when you see..."

...

We were now lining up at the start with me around the middle of the group. In front of us was Hiratsuka-sensei holding a start gun, but as she was about to begin the race, Isshiki interrupted to announce something on the microphone,

"Um~. To motivate the boys to do their best today, I, the student council president, have decided to give the first place winner, a kiss on the cheek!"

What followed was dead silence as the boys processed her words. Then in an instant, there was a mix of reactions. Most dominant were the poor virgin boys shouting for joy as they realized they finally had a chance to score, but another group groaned in defeat as they complained how they weren't going to win anyway since Hayama was so fast. Lost in the noise were the cheers from the girls waiting at the sidelines.

Next to me, I heard a restrained laughter.

"That girl's ridiculous..."

Recognizing his voice, I turned to see Reishiki next to me.

You still have that crazy stealth mode, huh? I should give that its own name. You're kind of like a ghost, so how about Phantom Rei? Wait, that's a little too close to the name of one plane. Never mind, we might get sued.

Then he turned to me and said in a happy voice,

"So, how about it, wanna race?"

"Hell no"

He made a small frown then continued,

"In that case, I'll have to find someone else..."

His eyes directed themselves to a person in the very front of the line.

Hold on. That's not what he's doing, is it? If it is, then I'm actually kind of worried that we left this to him.

Seeing that I realized, he turned to me with a huge grin on his face and said,

"What do you think? Think I have a chance?"

"You're crazy..."

Then I saw his face take on a serious look,

"I've decided to take more risks from now on"

Afterwards, it reverted to an easy-going expression as he added,

"Besides, there's a reason I chose this way. I'll give you a hint. You know how I bike to school, right?"

I responded with a yeah, without seeing where he was going.

I biked to school too, but I had no confidence that I could beat Hayama just because of that. Isshiki also mentioned that the soccer club's not all that lax about its training either.

But he answered just as I heard the gun fire, signaling the start of the race.

"Do you know how far I live away from school?"

In the next instant, he disappeared from my sight only to reappear close to the front of the pack after about a minute of searching.

That stealth works even when you're in a race? That's totally unfair! I'm going to call for that to be patched, okay?

Soon enough, Reishiki was close behind Hayama without looking all that tired. I realized that I was most likely going to lose sight of them soon, so I pushed myself and increased my pace. Struggling to catch up, it became more laborious to breathe, but I wanted to see this.

Looking towards the front again, I saw Reishiki next to Hayama, neither one looking at each other. Then, Hayama sped up significantly as if he was just taking it easy before, leaving Reishiki behind. I saw Reishiki, let up for a second in surprise, then he also pushed forward with more force.

At that point, they disappeared from my sight, and as I tried to push myself once more, my legs gave away for only a moment. But in that moment, I tripped and fell on my face.

...

Finally making it to the end of the finish line, I stopped and absorbed as much oxygen as my body needed while I was leaning on my knees. My face hurt like hell, but seeing that nothing was bleeding, I relaxed. With being one of the last ones to finish, there wasn't a very large crowd to congratulate me. But it's not like anyone was going to do that anyway.

Or so I thought, but Yuigahama jogged over to me.

"Hikki! You finally finished! Did you hear yet? Reishiki won the marathon!"

Never mind. Yuigahama, you raised my hopes only to crush them! On another note, holy crap! This guy actually did it. Is he actually strong or what? Now that I think about it, what would have happened if I was wrong, and Reishiki kicked my face in after I splashed juice on him?

Yuigahama crossed her arms while closing her eyes.

"Man, apparently it was really close with Hayama having the lead right up until the final stretch. After that, Reishiki was suddenly in front of Hayama before anyone realized it, but at that point, it was too late for Hayama to catch up completely"

Satisfied with her explanation, she stopped then looked at me and shyly held out her hand,

"U-um, so hurry up...so we can go see the ceremony..."

I decided not to take it which caused Yuigahama to frown, but I preferred to stand up by myself. Then I remembered Isshiki's announcement before the race.

Oh, I have to see this.

* * *

Arriving on the ceremony grounds, Yuigahama and I made it just in time to watch Reishiki walking up to the podium to receive his medal. Even now, it looked like he was still breathing a bit heavily. In front of him was a visibly shaken Isshiki who was probably regretting her earlier actions. As he moved closer to the center, Isshiki managed to sound barely decent as she announced his win,

"A-ah. Ahem. Alright then~. Our first place winner for this year's marathon is, ummm, what's his name again?"

You're still on mic, Isshiki-san~.

Or maybe was that on purpose? Obviously disappointed in her, the vice president whispered his name to her to which she continued,

"..ah, that's right. The first place winner, Reishiki Rei-san! Let's give him a round of applause"

A good round of applause was heard. Though I felt that most of it was from the people who didn't want Hayama to win.

Trying to sneak her way out of the hole she dug, Isshiki quickly tried to move on,

"Alright then~. Next is the second pla-"

But the world(read: poor virgin boys) would not stand for this injustice. They roared out in rage while one of the girls in the crowd, probably jealous that their cheers went unheard, yelled out,

"Heeey, Student President-san? Aren't you forgetting something?"

Sweatdrops formed on Isshiki's head as she tried to use the age-old excuse,

"Ah. T-that, that was just a joke at the beginning, you know? Nobody took that seriously right~?"

But nobody responded.

As the pressure continued to be forced onto her, Isshiki looked very nervous, but before she broke, Reishiki had already taken the microphone.

"Ah. That's okay, I didn't really want it anyway. Now that I think about it, it wasn't all that important either"

With a nice smile that hid a deeper meaning behind it, Reishiki answered the crowd which grudgingly accepted it, since that would mean that Isshiki is getting rejected. Behind him, Isshiki's eyes looked almost murderous for a split second before she reverted back to normal and took the microphone back from him. She made a fake laugh and continued,

"Hahaha..Well, you heard him. Now onto second place winner, Hayama Hayato! Let's all give him a wonderful applause for a great race! Yay!"

While the applause filled the silence, Hayama was handed the microphone.

"Ah. I don't know what to say...It was a great race. Throughout the whole thing, I had no idea who would win. I want to thank Reishiki-san for a fun race, but next time don't expect to win, alright?"

He took the loss with extreme professionalism and made a refreshing smile at the very end towards Reishiki who didn't seem to care as he was twirling his medal around his fingers. Somewhere in the crowd, I had a feeling somebody was having a nosebleed from seeing a new pairing.

* * *

With the ceremony finished, Reishiki approached us and informed us,

"Hey, I'm about to get Hayama's choice from him. Tell the requester to get ready"

Yuigahama then said,

"Eh? Right now? Ok, I'll go get Yumiko!"

With that, she ran off to find Miura. I, with nothing better to do, followed Reishiki to Hayama.

While walking, I wondered where Yukinoshita was at, only to see her appear from the school building.

What? Was she in the nurse's office or something?

She seemed to spot me and walked towards my location, as I slowed down for her to catch up.

I turned my head to look at Reishiki who was now dragging Hayama away from the crowd around him.

Meanwhile, I watched as Yukinoshita got closer to me.

"Hello, how did it go?"

Unsure of what she was talking about, I answered,

"The request? Reishiki's taking care of it right now"

"I was referring to your race, but I guess that's fine"

She corrected me with a sigh then Reishiki came back towards us,

"Oh, Yukinoshita-san. When did you get here? I got Hayama's choice just now"

Yukinoshita nodded and said hello, then stated that she just heard from me.

In a few minutes, Yuigahama arrived with Miura who was looking very agitated knowing she was about to get what she's been waiting for.

"Hey! You guys disappeared! Ah, Yukinon! Yahallo! Anyway, I had to walk around looking for you guys, only to end up circling back here with Yumiko!"

Now that I think about it, why did you even go get her knowing she was probably already close to Hayama to begin with?

Reishiki looked at Miura, probably for the first time, then asked,

"Are you the requester? If so, I have your answer"

Miura looked sort of confused and turned to Yuigahama,

"Who's he? Like an outsider or something?"

Right...only the three of us and Isshiki really knew about Reishiki joining the club.

But before her question was answered, she turned back to Reishiki. Probably too excited to care, she replied,

"Yeah, it's me"

Reishiki then walked over to her and whispered the answer to her ear.

Woah, what's this guy doing? Do you wanna die or something? You're playing with fire here! Don't think you're all smooth and stuff just because you won a race!

But Miura seemed to be more interested in the answer and didn't mind. After Reishiki stepped back, she looked at him with a grateful look.

"Thank you"

It apparently took Reishiki by surprise since his eyes widened, but quickly calmed down.

"You're welcome"

* * *

As if by habit, the three of us, along with Reishiki, ended up in the familiar club room and as usual, the aroma of tea was in the air. After a few moments of silence, Reishiki put down his paper cup and spoke,

"I have an announcement to make..."

Wondering what it was about, the three of us turned to look at him. For some reason, my first thought was that he was going to make his own request, but I realized that was completely off as he finished his sentence,

"..I'm quitting the club"

...

...

...

"Come again?"

"Eh?"

Yukinoshita and Yuigahama both stared at Reishiki in shock. I, myself, was actually surprised too, but there's no way that Hiratsuka-sensei would just all-

"I already got Hiratsuka-sensei's permission as well"

Huh? What kind of voodoo magic did you use?

Hearing that he already got Hiratsuka-sensei's approval, Yukinoshita closed her eyes and accepted it, only to be followed by Yuigahama quickly asking some questions.

"Seems like you're being serious..."

"But why? Do you not like it here?"

Reishiki played with his empty paper cup and made a solemn expression as if he understood something that he didn't want talk about.

"You guys already realize why, don't you? This isn't my place...I'm just a visitor"

While I didn't want to admit it, what he said was true. From the very beginning, all of us felt like he was intruding in this space. Even now, it still felt like he was out of place, but he wasn't done talking,

"Besides, there's something else you guys are worried about, right? Even I can see it"

Without even mentioning anything specific, he managed put us at a tough position. Sudden thoughts that I've been pushing away were now flooding my mind. Even now, I still don't want to think of it. To distract myself, I looked at those two. While I wasn't completely sure, I had a feeling that those two were thinking of the same thing as me.

After seeing us like that, Reishiki stood up, holding on to the empty paper cup, and made his way out, but after opening the door, he turned around.

"Thanks for letting me join the club. I'll see you guys around"

Then the door closed as Reishiki made his exit.

* * *

The following Monday morning, I found myself in the teacher's lounge with Hiratsuka-sensei who was sitting down on her chair.

"Man, you solved that request pretty quickly, Hikigaya. I'm honestly surprised you did it so quick. You get bonus points from me!"

She congratulated me with a grin on her face, but I wasn't too keen on accepting it. I looked down as I spoke, unable to accept her thanks.

"I didn't really do anything.."

Just like before, I didn't actually solve anything. I just pushed my own beliefs onto someone else and called it good.

"..In the end, I never solved the problem. Just because he looks and acts a little different now, doesn't mean he's actually changed on the inside..."

That's why, again, I didn't help anyone.

But Hiratsuka-sensei just sighed and lectured me as she stood up.

"You idiot...People don't change that easily. It happens slowly over time; you should know this by now. And it sounds like you're mistaken about something..."

That caused me to look up and see Hiratsuka-sensei's eyes, holding that mature look that I remember very clearly on that certain day.

"I never asked you to solve Reishiki's problem, just to help him. And you did just that. You're probably right that he hasn't changed on the inside, but what matters is that now, Reishiki is trying..."

She paused and then placed her hand on my shoulder.

"What you did will probably stick with him for a long time. That's different from you usually solve things, where you fix the situation but not the underlying problem..."

As memories of the past requests entered my mind, she took her hand of my shoulder and moved it to my head, rubbing my hair softly. Then, her eyes took on a gentle look similar to that of a caring mother looking at her son.

"That's why this time, I'll praise you. Good job, Hikigaya"

Being treated like that, I couldn't help but push her hand away carefully.

"I don't need you to treat me like a child"

Looking a bit surprised, she sighed loudly and rubbed her head.

"Haaa...you really are uncute, you know?"

...

As I was walking back from the teacher's lounge, I had some time to think about everything that happened recently.

One thing was why Reishiki's attitude had bothered me so much. Looking at the reasoning behind his actions, I saw something we shared in common. Or rather, had shared. But seeing someone else suffering from it, I realized I could no longer accept it.

Something I'm sure the Hachiman of the past would have.

In that case, doesn't that mean I've changed? What else would you call this? Even though I still don't like the idea of it, for some reason, I don't feel like I've been defeated.

Another thing was Reishiki after that talk. He certainly acted different from before, but I wonder if that's just a mask, or if that's his true personality. In either case, his actions do seem to show a bit more self-worth, what with believing in himself to win against Hayama and actually attacking Isshiki back.

Has he actually taken step forward? I'm not too sure, but for now, I'll trust the look in his eyes.

And finally, the club room. After Reishiki left, there was a very awkward silence. The three of us were all looking down, refusing to look at each other, but still taking peeks at each other every once in a while. Since that day, there was the week-end and I haven't see either of them yet.

Right now, I have no idea what's going to happen. I'm sure that soon enough, we'll have to face it. That which the three of us have been avoiding.

But when that time comes, is it okay for me to be selfish?

* * *

 _End note: First off, thanks for the views! If you've made it this far, whether you liked it or not, please leave a review if you can. I'd like hear your opinions on the story, but if you have any comments on the writing itself, for example, the general flow of it, if it was repetitive, word choice, stuff like that would be much appreciated._

 _With that said, I do have some plans with making a sequel, but that'll be a while since the only thing I really have so far is the title: But with the courage to move forward._

 _Once again, thanks. I hope this was worth the time to read!_


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